4 Children, 2 worlds and One Ring to rule them all
by AzureSpider
Summary: My own stab at a crossover between Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia.  Done as a tribute to the friendship of JRR. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis  even if they didn't actually like each-other's work! .  Rated T for the usual violence reasons.  Enjoy!
1. Prologue

**Chapter 1: Prologue  
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**Middle-Earth. The Black Gates of Mordor-SA 3441**

The day was sunless and cold like all days in Mordor were. Pitch-black was both the sky above and the ground beneath the Elves and Numenoreans feet. All around the Last Alliance of Men and Elves were the filthy black and gray armored abominations known as orcs, staring them down with bulging hateful yellow eyes and bared fangs.

But the orcs had been driven back. After so much fighting, the superior might and discipline of the Last Alliance had finally managed to push the orcs to the very foot of Mount Doom, a mountain that towered far over them all and overlooked all of Mordor. At the forefront of this massive army of men and elves stood Elendil and Gil-Gilad, the two old friends, who with their mighty weapons of choice, Narsil and Aiglos, cut down countless orcs, carving a bloody swath all the way to the very bottom of the mountain, which spewed out molten lava and fires that threatened to incinerate any unfortunate enough to be where the lava landed. Meanwhile, Isildur, son of Elendil, and Elrond, lord of Rivendell, were challenging each-other to see who could score more kills.

"22, 23, 24..." Isildur ducked under an axe-swing from an orc and retaliated by jabbing his princely sword into the creature's body.

"25!" Isildur shouted. He turned to Elrond, who had already cut down two more orcs.

"Elrond, 25 already today!"

Elrond turned to him. "Good for you" Elrond replied nonchalantly. "I have 35 kills"

"I'll have no pointy-ear outscoring me!" Isildur swung out with his sword and an orc's head went flying off its shoulders. Whipping around, he decapitated a second Orc as it attempted to bring its hand-axe down on him. Then another Orc was felled. And another. Within mere moments, Isildur's body count had gone from 25 to over 35.

But as Isildur looked for Elrond, he found he could no longer see him amidst the endless tide of black, gold, and silver. And as he continued to look for him, he saw slashes in the air that he recognized as Elrond's signature sword Hadahafang in action. Indeed, Orcs were falling in droves, but still Isildur's eyes could not see where Elrond was. Was the Elf fighting so fast that Isildur could not even see him?

"70 kills now" Isildur heard Elrond's voice say, but still Isildur could not locate him amidst the mass of orcs, men, and elves.

Meanwhile, Elendil and Gil-Gilad continued to lead the push to the foot of the volcano. Amidst the chaos and carnage, Elendil raised Narsil aloft and shouted triumphantly. Victory it seemed, was finally at hand.

Then the air grew colder still as a new dark presence finally made itself known. Suddenly the whole world seemed to slow down as the orcs pulled back completely and the elves and Numenoreans ceased in their attacks on them. All stood in stunned silence at the ominous arrival of the giant clad in armor as black and shiny as obsidian, with a sinister spiked helmet covering whatever face he might have and a long flowing black cape darker than his armor draped around his spiked shoulders. In his hand he held a mace, and on one finger on his mace hand he wore a golden band.

Sauron the dark had come to the field of battle.

With one swing of his mace came a burst of greenish energy followed by a dozen or so men and elves being sent into the air, knocked away like broken dolls and killed instantly to the horror of their companions. With a second swing another blast of blinding greenish energy and another grouping of elves and men meeting a similar fate as the first ones slain. Then another swing. And another. Dozens of men and elves were being single-handidly and systematically slaughtered by the Dark Lord, as their terrified companions looked on helplessly. No attack from Elf of Numenorean could harm Sauron while he wore the One Ring on his finger.

Finally, the Dark Lord reached Gil-Gilad himself. The Elf Lord thrusted with Aiglos but Sauron grabbed the spear with his large gauntlet-hand and wrenched the great weapon from Gil-Gilad's grip. Staring at it contemptuously, Sauron tossed it away and then grabbed Gil-Gilad by the throat, hoisting him aloft with one arm before the Elf-Lord could do a thing to stop it. All of his struggling was for nought, and as Elendil and all other men and elves looked on in horror, Sauron's very body began radiating intense heat, the obsidian black now glowing a fierce fiery orange, the empty black holes on his mask lit an intense red, and Gil-Gilad the high-elf king was consumed in fire and slain, with a nought but a charred and broken skeleton left behind.

Seeing his old friend incinerated, Elendil shouted out in rage, and abandoning all sense of self-preservation, rushed towards Sauron and struck out at him with Narsil. The ensuing exchange was a painfully short one, for not even Narsil could injure Sauron, who effortlessly knocked Elendil with another swing of his mace. The great king of Numenor went flying before slamming hard into a wall of black rock and then landing with a sickening thud and crunch. Isildur rushed to his side but by then his father had already died. And no sooner did Isildur reach his father's body that Sauron now stood before him as well, in all of his evil. His mind kicking into survival mode, Isildur stabbed with his sword. It did nothing and Sauron swatted the sword away, the bronze-colored blade spiraling through the air before disappearing completely from view. Desperately racing to grab his father's sword, Isildur was too late to keep Sauron from bringing his armored foot down on the blade, breaking the legendary sword like it was but a dry twig. All Isildur had now was a hilt with a broken jagged blade. He looked up. Sauron raised his mace over his head, and Isildur braced himself to join his father...

A fierce roar echoed throughout the air, and every living thing paused. All turned to the source of the roar, and saw a beacon of light that was powerful enough to pierce even Mordor's shroud of darkness. And then, up the hill came a large lion with golden fur and tan mane, with a face that carried far too much wisdom and age to be that of an ordinary lion. The elves recognized him immediately and many bowed in respect. Some Numenoreans followed suit. Though he was not of this world, every being in Middle-Earth knew who this was, for he hailed from the most magical and pure of the three realms.

"The Lion-Mair has come here to Middle-Earth..." Sauron mumbled, speaking for the first time. Turning his gaze to him, the great lion let out a fearsome roar that sent Orcs scattering in all directions, and for once in his long existence, Sauron felt genuine fear. The Lion-Maiar was not supposed to be here. The laws of Eru Iluvatar forbade contact and interaction between the three worlds...

Before Sauron or Isildur or any other being could get any sense of what was transpiring, the great lion surged forward, all elves and men parting respectfully to make way for his charge while any orcs fled in absolute terror. Soon, the lion was upon Sauron, who swung out with his mace to meet him. So began a fierce struggle between the two Mair. The lion pounced on him before Sauron could strike him with his mace, and the Dark Lord struggled to force him off of him. As he did, Sauron spoke to him in a language that only his fellow Mair would understand. It sounded like abhorrent black-speech to everyone else, including Isildur.

"You should not have come here Aslan. You know the laws of Eru as much as I..."

Aslan snapped at Sauron with his fangs and then responded in the same language, only his voice sounded like pleasant celestial singing: "For one who has established himself as the greatest evil of all three worlds and has blatantly defied Eru's ideals repeatedly, I would not lecture me about breaking his laws"

Sauron continued his struggle with Aslan, finally forcing him off of him as he responded angrily: "You presume too much. You think I am the greatest evil of all three realms? All I desired was to bring order to Middle-Earth. But I was rejected! And so I will destroy all those who rejected my salvation! And what of Earth? What of those who Eru seems to consider his "chosen?" They have committed far worse atrocities than I ever could. They have committed repeated genocide and mass-torture against their own race, and often in Eru's name. Who now is the real monster?"

Undeterred, Aslan countered: "One cannot condemn an entire species for the crimes of some, however heinous. All the humans of Earth need is guidance. They will get it in time."

As the fight continued, a watching Isildur dared to blink only once. As he looked on the two dueling Maiar seemed to fade in and out of existence, with Sauron especially disappearing before Isildur's eyes, replaced by a thick black form that looked almost like a cloud that had been swallowed up by a black hole and then spat back out as an inky blur.

Not to be deterred, Aslan continued to advance towards the walking abyss again and again, snapping at it with his jaws and roaring fiercely as if to make the black form recoil in fear. As Isildur looked on, he could only struggle to believe that the shadow, the blackened blur Aslan fought against could possibly be Sauron. And as the fight continued Isildur's eyes could no longer follow Aslan either. Both opponents fought so fast that they were now beyond Isildur's ability to see them, his normally keen eyesight failing him for the second time in the span of a few moments.

Finally though Sauron began to get the edge in his struggle. He knocked Aslan to the ash-covered ground, the lion's claws leaving deep cuts in the Dark Lord that succeeded in hurting him. Sauron tossed Aslan to the where Isildur and Elendil's body were and extended a hand. Out shot a combined blast of flame and ice that Aslan only barely countered with a mighty roar that dispersed it into a whirlwind of harmless sparks and snowflakes. Undeterred, Sauron trudged towards the fallen lion and raised his mace, again speaking in the language of the Maiar: "Perhaps I simply do not understand. But more likely, I think that I am far too smart to believe in such rubbish"

As Sauron prepared to deliver the death blow, the up-to-that point petrified Isildur seized on his chance, stabbing Sauron in the back with Narsil's broken blade. Sauron whipped around and forced Isildur to pull the broken sword out. The Dark Lord stared Isildur down in contempt.

"So you invite my wrath do you? Foolish Numenorean filth..."

Sauron raised his mace only to recoil in pain as Aslan slashed at his back with his claws. Seizing on the opportunity, Isildur slashed outward with Narsil cutting off all of the fingers on the hand that Sauron wore his ring. No sooner did the black fingers fall to the ground did Sauron stop dead in his tracks. Suddenly, a glowing white light appeared in the center of his body. The light grew brighter and brighter as it began to consume his entire form. And in an instant, Sauron exploded, unleashing a massive wave of energy that knocked all present down to the ground. Off in the distance, Sauron's helmet landed with a crash. The Dark Lord and enemy of the free peoples of Middle-Earth had been slain.

Isildur turned to where the great lion had been but he was nowhere to be seen. He had vanished as if he had never been there. Isildur was confused and curious, but then his attention was drawn to what Sauron had left behind: his golden ring.

Such a small thing it was, Isildur thought. Such a small, plain-looking band. Isildur found it hard to imagine that such a tiny thing could hold so much power. And yet...

He was drawn to it. Before he could even realize what was happening to him, he found himself irresistibly drawn to the ring. He grabbed it and crushed the now brittle severed finger that it was worn on like it was but brittle charcoal.

All who come from my bloodline will be bound to this ring... Isildur decided. Yes...it must be kept within my family at all costs...it is...precious to me...

**Author's Note: All right! First chapter done! Now because I've already written the first several chapters, they will all be uploaded soon. Now with this, I think I should get some things out in the open:**

**The Lord of the Rings setting is a **_**mix **_**of the Book-universe and the movies. For the most part, events will be quite similar to the way they were in the movies, but fortunately, the movies tend to be (pretty) accurate to the books. And there will be several elements native to the books as well, like say, Legolas' appearance. Let's just say he won't look like Orlando Bloom in my story (sorry Bloom fans!) As for the Narnia setting, well, I have a few surprises there…**

**Yes, Aslan is a Maiar. He is also the oldest one, which will be elaborated on later. **

**A good portion of this will be taken straight from the actual books and movies, so I apologize is this comes off as more of a transcript. The thing is, a lot of this is meant to be one of two things: for the Narnia stuff, its my own take on it, as in, less saccharine and innocent (no offense Narnia fans). As for the LoTR stuff, while its true that anyone who has seen the movies or read the books (or both) will recognize most of what happens, including dialogue, this is not a mere re-write. The LoTR parts are meant to be the War of the Ring as told from the Pensive Children's perspectives. They are a kind of Ishmael-type character if you would, for those who are familiar with Moby Dick.**

**Now, with all of that out of the way, I hope that you enjoy my story!**


	2. The Pensives

Chapter 2: The Pensives

**Author's Note: Quick update huh? As I said, I've written the first few chapters already. Enjoy!**

**Earth, 1940 AD  
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At first it was just an endless sea of green, rolling hills that seemed to go on forever. A far green country. No more, no less. At first, she had just assumed it to be the countryside, and she wandered along it as such. It all seemed so quiet, so serene and peaceful. During the short weeks she had been stuck in the dreary old country house of professor Digory Kirke, the nice-looking countryside was the only thing she even remotely enjoyed about any of it all...

It grew cold all of a sudden, freezing almost. She began shivering and placed her arms around her. It did no good. She was so cold. She breathed out, and could see her breath. What had happened to make it all so frigid?

The wind blew, the ice cold air gnawing at her skin like it was a snake with icicle fangs and frozen skin coiled around her body, and she began to shiver even more. She looked around. She saw strange-looking houses that looked built into the hills and the earth, odd circular doors and tiny square windows fixed into the hills. Those weren't there before. What were they? She didn't know...she looked up and the sky grew darker, as if there was to be a massive rain-storm. She took that as her cue to go back to the country-house...

She turned and made her way back to where the house was. Or at least where she thought the country-house was...she kept going in that direction, further and further...then she paused.

She panicked and looked this way and that. With dread coming upon her, she realized that she didn't remember where the house was. How could that be? She had to remember, it wasn't far...where was it?

She looked around desperately, all the while wracking her brains to try and remember, but somehow the simple but precious knowledge was escaping her. She was panicking. This shouldn't be happening, she told herself. It shouldn't be happening...

She broke into a run, going into the direction that she only thought was where the house was but in truth she had no idea. She just kept running, past the strange-looking houses, past a stream...

She paused. She saw, slumped against a tree was a young man, probably not much older then her, with a fair amount of brown hair that went to the bottom of his neck but not quite shoulder-length. His eyes were hard, and he had the faintest of stubbles. He wore chainmail with bluish-gray leather armor over it, but what drew her eyes in terror were three black arrows sticking out of his body, blood coming out in copious amounts.

Giving in to instinct, she raced to his side. He turned to her and smiled, which startled her further.

"I would have followed you anywhere...my friend...my queen...my love"

Her heart skipped a beat and then started to race as she watched the man die with a weak smile on his face. Why had he said these things to her? She couldn't understand, only feeling sorrow at the death of a man she had never met. And yet she felt as if she had, somewhere...

"I see you..."

Her heart practically burst out of her chest. She whipped around and was confronted with a horrifying sight: a large fiery orb that resembled cross between a miniature sun, a giant lidless cat's eye, stared her down, a ray of light coming down on her as it did. She was consumed with terror at this unholy thing and whatever strength she may have had left disappeared as the thing stared at her.

"You cannot hide daughter of Eve. Neither you or your ilk. I. SEE. YOU."

There was an unearthly wail ringing through the air which grew deathly colder still as she found herself cowering before this evil thing looking at her and speaking to her in the most horrible-sounding voice imaginable. And then the fiery eye opened, revealing two figures clad in obsidian-black armor. The one in front was shorter, but still tall, with spiked shoulder armor and a sinister helmet with long spikes, as well as a golden band on his finger. Behind him was a black-armored figure who was larger still, with a large black crown and what looked like three glowing jewels in the center of his forehead. He seemed simultaneously a universe away from his companion and also all-too close to her...

"There is no life, in the void...only...DEATH"

Susan Pensive awoke in a cold sweat, screaming and panicking and throwing off the covers. Her heart was pounding so hard and fast that the sound felt deafening, especially in relation to the quietness and loneliness of her bedroom.

Susan looked around, and as she did, she realized that she had cried in her terror. Irritatingly wiping the tears away, Susan hoped that she hadn't attracted the unwanted attention of her siblings. But as she thought this, she heard a knock on the door and realized that she had.

"Susan? Are you OK? We heard you screaming"

"Yeah," She heard her younger brother mutter. "So loud I wouldn't be surprised if she'd woken up the whole country"

"Oh knock it off Edmund" Peter replied. "Susan?"

"I'm fine!" Susan called back with a half-hearted tone. Apparently, Peter didn't buy it and opened the door.

"Susan?"

She met her brother's concerned look with an annoyed glare. "I'm fine Peter."

Peter held up his hands. "All right, all right, suit yourself"

"Why are you wearing your clothes?" Susan asked.

"Oh, well, Lucy disappeared a few hours ago while we were playing hide and seek and we didn't see her go to bed. So Edmund and I are looking for her. It was about then when we heard you scream..."

"Oh...well, I don't know where she is..."

"Too bad. Come on Peter, lets keep looking"

Susan thought about it, trying to remember where she had last seen her sister and desperately trying to forget her horrible and mysterious nightmare. Shaking off the image of the fiery eye, she suddenly remembered: "I remember Lucy liking that old wardrobe in the one room. Maybe you should look there."

"Great idea! Thanks Susan! Come on Edmund!"

And with that, Susan's brothers left her. Now Susan was alone again, and again the sound of her pounding heart was deafening and driving her crazy. She had to go back to sleep. Or at least try...

But she couldn't. She didn't want to risk facing that terrible flaming eye again. She felt so childish and cowardly, but she couldn't help it. That...thing had shaken her to her core. Had disturbed her more than any other nightmare she ever had. All of which she could no longer remember.

And so Susan just sat there alone in her bed, staring at the ceiling, and trying to force out the images of her nightmare. Finally giving up though, she got up, changed, and went after Peter and Edmund.

**Author's Note: Short chapter, but the others will be much longer. I can promise that. And no, the man in Susan's dream is **_**not **_**Boromir. Who he is he? You'll just have to wait and see…**


	3. Narnia

Chapter 3: Narnia

**Author's Note: Yes, this will be mostly a novelization of the famous Narnia introductory scene, but I still suggest you read it. It's written a good bit differently, and I inserted a few things here and there to make it my own. Enjoy!**

Lucy wandered the snow-covered woods in an almost dream-like state, utterly fascinated by the strange-looking place she had stumbled upon, entered it seemed, from the old wardrobe. It was snowing, but lightly, cold, but not to an unbearable level. And in the center of the place oddly enough, was a lamppost.

Lucy had no idea whatsoever where she was, and couldn't understand in the least why or how she had come, but in her sense of amazement and wonder, she didn't spend too much time dwelling on any of these things. She just kept wandering through the snow-covered forest absent-mindedly, but also making a mental note of where the wardrobe was so she could go back when she wanted to...

She didn't go far before her eyes bore witness to an extremely unusual sight: a man with a goatee and curly brown hair, whose legs were not that of a human but a goat. He had small horns on his head too. In his hands he held an umbrella and also a parcel under one arm, and over his neck he wore a red scarf.

Lucy was so surprised to see him that she couldn't move, frozen in place and eyes bulging out in surprise. She knew that it was impolite to stare, but she couldn't help it. And then the strange goat-legged man caught sight of her. His eyes bulged out and his face took on a look of total surprise to match hers. Jumping back, he dropped his parcel and umbrella and was visibly panicking. Seeing his stuff fall to the snowy ground, Lucy's altruistic nature got the better of her and she rushed over to help him pick it up.

"Who...who are you?" The goat-legged man asked nervously. "You seem awfully pretty for a dwarf. I mean, I've heard that dwarf women are often mistaken for dwarf men..."

Lucy made an indignant and pouty expression. "I'm no dwarf! I'm a girl!"

The goat-legged man raised an eyebrow. "A girl you say? Ah! Then you must be a daughter of Eve! What are you doing in Narnia?"

"Narnia? What's Narnia?"

"Why, this is Narnia! This world that you're in! The most magical and pure of the three realms! A paradise if there ever was one!"

"Three realms? I don't understand..."

"Oh...right, sorry. Forgot how strange and surreal this must all seem to you...my name is Mr. Tumnus by the way."

"Pleased to meet you Mr. Tumnus, but...why do you...?"

"Ah, you're referring to my horns and legs aren't you? Well, you see daughter of Eve, I am a Faun. A sort of "half-man, half-goat" creature if you would. My cousins are the Satyrs, but they tend to be a bit more, shall we say, "goat-like" then me and my kin. I'd stay well away from them if I were you. They tend to, shall we say, get a little over-excited around females of any race and age."

Lucy couldn't help but smile. She'd never heard of Fauns or Satyrs or Narnia before, but this Mr. Tumnus came off as pleasant enough. Very chipper. Lucy liked those kinds of people, and had always wished that her older siblings were less dour and more happy like her...

"...Anyway, tell me Daughter of Eve, would you like to come to my house for some tea? You may not have guessed it, but we fauns make a mean cup of green tea..."

Lucy considered. Her mother and Peter had always told her to never talk to or go anywhere with strangers, but Lucy had already ignored the first part of that advice, and Mr. Tumnus seemed nice enough. And besides, she was sure if worst came to worst she could outrun someone with goat legs. And she had made sure to remember where the wardrobe back to her world was...

Lucy nodded. "OK, sure. Oh, and my name is Lucy by the way"

Mr. Tumnus nodded. "Very well Lucy. Now lets move along, wouldn't want to stay out in the cold any longer..."

Mr. Tumnus' words made Lucy remember that she wasn't exactly wearing winter clothes and that she was indeed now starting to feel really cold. Her legs felt almost numb from the frigid air and snow. Moving along quickly with Mr. Tumnus, Lucy followed him to a strange-looking house that appeared completely built into the snow. And were it not for the window and Mr. Tumnus walking to where the door apparently was, Lucy doubted that she would have been able to tell that it was a house at all.

Lucy walked in with Mr. Tumnus and found his house to be a very pleasant-looking place. The comfortable-looking chairs, the little table with cupboards above and the book-shelf all gave off an inviting air, as well as the overall compact nature of the place. Rather modest.

"Now then, I'll get to making that tea I promised. Do you have a preference Lucy?"

Lucy considered. She hadn't had tea too many times, just her mothers...

"Some English tea would be nice..."

"Hmm..."English". Never heard of it. I tell you what; I'll make some tea from a recipe I got from the beavers and see what you think"

"The beavers?"

"Yes, the beavers. Nice couple. Old friends actually..."

And with that Tumnus went into the kitchen and Lucy got to admire his house for a little longer. It wasn't long though before Tumnus came in with some tea on a tray. He handed Lucy a cup and she gave a sip.

The resulting taste was powerful and tart to say the very least, and were it not for the manners her mother had long since engraved into her very being, she would have spat the bitter-tasting liquid out in an instant. But instead she swallowed it and did her best to smile. She could see Tumnus grinning.

"Told you. When we Fauns make tea, we make it strong"

"I can see that..."

Lucy's eyes fell upon what she recognized as a bronze-colored pan-pipe hanging around a necklace on Tumnus's neck. Her curiosity roused, Lucy asked: "Do you play?"

Tumnus' face took on a confused expression before his eyes fell to the pan-pipe on his neck.

"Ah, you mean this. As a matter of fact I do. Do you want to hear some music?"

Lucy nodded. "Yes, I would like that"

Tumnus nodded, took the pan-pipe off his neck and started playing a tune to it. It was a curious tune, with a very somber and reserved feel to it, almost melancholic. In-between playing, Tumnus sang: "Far over...the Misty Mountains cold...to dungeons deep...and caverns old..."

Lucy found herself lulled by the mysterious gloomy melody and Tumnus' accompanying singing of a similar tone. It all seemed almost haunting and hypnotic at the same time...

"...We must away, ere break of day, to find our long-forgotten gold...the pines were roaring..." his voice increased in volume to a degree that was subtle but also noticeable: "...on the heights...the winds were moaning...in the night..." his volume had increased a little again.

"The fire was RED! It flaming spread! The trees like torches...blazed with light..."

Lucy found herself growing sleepy. It came quickly, before she even had time to wonder why. She shut her eyes, her head fell forward and her tea-cup shattered to the floor...

The music stopped abruptly. Lucy awoke with a start and could see that her tea cup and its contents were now spread all over the floor, which made her greatly embarrassed and she could hear silent sobbing.

"Mr. Tumnus are you alright? I'm sorry about the tea..."

Mr. Tumnus sighed deeply. "This isn't about the tea...this is about me...I...I'm sorry Lucy..."

"For what? Mr. Tumnus, I don't understand"

"I was tasked with kidnapping you" Tumnus confessed, his voice breaking.

"What? What do you mean kidnap me? Who told you to do that?"

"The White Witch...the "queen" Mr. Tumnus put as much contempt into the word as he possibly could. "...of Narnia. The one who has twisted and morphed the purest of the three realms into an eternal winter and frozen wasteland. But I have to serve her. If I don't, I'll end up like the others..."

"What others?" Lucy asked horrified.

"Oh, all manner of beings really. Bears, foxes, centaurs, satyrs, my fellow fauns...the brave ones who refused to submit to her or the Eyes rule. Refused to consider a servant of the evil one as their queen. So she punished them. And she'll do the same to me if I don't turn you over to her!"

"But...but what does the White Witch want with me?" Lucy asked panicking.

"There is a prophecy that two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve would...ah, I shouldn't be telling you any of this! I should be taking you to the Witch and her forces right this instant!"

Now Lucy was panicking. This faun who she had taken as a curious but amiable fellow had turned out to be trying to kidnap her and deliver to some witch who ruled this world and made it cold. And what about an eye? An evil one? Adam and Eve? Lucy couldn't understand. They'd never mentioned an eye or a witch or Narnia in church before...

In any event, Lucy knew she would have to speak, and to choose her words carefully. Otherwise she was done for.

"Mr. Tumnus...you don't really want to work for this White Witch do you?"

Mr. Tumnus sighed deeply. "No, I do not. But I have no choice! She's taken over everything! Any who stand against her get turned to stone! She's got the minotaurs, ogres, and cyclops on her side! Not to mention rumors of there being orcs...can you imagine it? ORCS IN NARNIA! Those abominations would tear me apart if the Witch sent them after me...eat me alive!"

Lucy didn't know what "orcs" were either, but she had to knock some sense into her newfound friend. He wasn't bad, she could tell, he just needed to get some courage to stand up for what was right.

"Mr. Tumus...I thought that you were my friend...you can't turn me into some witch that you don't even like!"

"Well...I..." The faun paused. He was conflicted, it was written all over his face. "I...yes, you're right. I can't go through with this. I'm sorry Lucy. You...can you forgive me?"

Lucy nodded and smiled, pleased that she'd gotten through to him. "Of course. But if you're not going to turn me in, I should probably go..."

"Yes, you should. Its no longer safe for you here that's for sure"

Tumnus opened the door and led Lucy out into the snowy woods, which it seemed had grown colder, the freezing white wind whipping around fiercely and almost leaving the pair snow-blinded.

"This is the witch's doing! She's on to us! Stay close Lucy!"

The two kept running, Lucy as she had suspected, significantly outpacing Tumnus, who struggled to keep up with his goat legs. Just as well, since Lucy was the one who remembered where the wardrobe was so she was best equipped to take charge. Eventually, they reached the lamppost, and then after going further a little more, came to the wardrobe, right where it was meant to be.

"Well, here we are. Safe travels Lucy daughter of Eve, and again, forgive me for what I attempted to do"

"Its OK Mr. Tumnus. We can see each-other again sometime..."

But before Lucy could leave she saw sadness on Tumnus' face once more...

**Author's Note: Now I confess that I don't like CoN anywhere near as much as Tolkein's stuff, and I can also understand and sympathize with many of Tolkein's criticisms of it, but I still think that Narnia, and the Pensive Children in particular, have a few charms. If nothing else, a world with Werewolves, Phoenixes, Minotaurs, **_**and **_**a Dragon or two gets my vote. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed, and no, this will not turn into a hate-fic. Just don't be surprised if I do end up putting more emphasis and attention on Middle-Earth than Narnia.**


	4. Misplaced

Chapter 4: Misplaced

Edmund sat alone brooding in the dark. Not exactly something that made him look anything other than the freak his siblings thought he was, but that was unfortunate.

Oh, his siblings had never called him a freak, but Edmund knew they all thought it. The way they looked at him. His two older siblings never seemed to want to spend much time around him or even really associate with him, and the only reason Lucy tried was because she was Lucy.

Lucy...as it turned out, Susan's suggestion that they look in the wardrobe was a good one. She came out the very second Peter, Edmund, and Susan had entered the room. And she looked happy too. Her siblings on the other hand, were less than amused, demanding to know what she'd been thinking hiding in the wardrobe for so long.

Lucy had told them about going to some place called "Narnia" or something, and meeting a "faun". Edmund was surprised that she even knew what a faun was. Guess she'd been looking at the books in Professor Kirk's study.

But at any rate, the others, Edmund included, had considered it all a bunch of total nonsense, just a little girl making up stories to impress her siblings. Edmund shook his head and smiled. Little Lucy. So cutesy and hopelessly naive. Well, she'd learn how the world really worked in time. She'd learn...

Edmund finally got up and started wandering around the mansion once more, finding as he did that being stuck in the same dreary old mansion so many days in a row, and going through the same rooms again and again was beginning to drive him mad. He had to do something different and exciting. Anything. He came to the room with the wardrobe. His more mischievous and mean-spirited side getting the better of him, Edmund's mouth formed into a grin that was equal parts smug and devilish.  
>Heh heh. I bet Lucy's hiding in that old wardrobe again. I think I'll give her a little scare...<p>

And so Edmund, as quiet as he could be, tiptoed to the wardrobe and put his ear to it. He couldn't hear Lucy. Getting ready, Edmund sized up the handle to the wardrobe and prepared to throw it open...

...Only for it to open on the inside. And then out came Lucy. Edmund was so surprised that he abandoned his attempt to scare her. Noticing his presence, Lucy turned to him.

"Hello Edmund. What are you doing there?"

"Nothing" Edmund said quickly. "What were you doing in that wardrobe again?"

"Seeing my friend Mr. Tumnus. He's really nice. And its good to see that the mean White Witch doesn't know about him helping me"

"White Witch?"

"A nasty bully who makes Narnia cold and covered in snow." Lucy explained. "She thinks she's a queen but she's not"

Edmund fought off the urge to reflexively roll his eyes. She was at it again. Well this time he was less inclined to humor her.

"Right. And I'm 87 and married to an Elf" Edmund replied sarcastically.

"Oh come on Edmund, don't do that! I'm telling the truth! Narnia is real! Come on, I'll show you!"

And before Edmund could protest, Lucy grabbed his maroon sweater sleeve and tugged him forward, bringing him into the wardrobe with her. As they went in though, Edmund began to put up a struggle.

"Lucy let go! I don't want to play any stupid games with y-"

Edmund was cut off as he managed to pull himself free, only to go tumbling forward anyway. Trying to stop his momentum, Edmund instead only managed to fall forward to the left rather than the right. Edmund cursed and forced himself up.

"Lucy! Lucy where are you?"

There was no response.

"Lucy?"

Nothing. And it was about then that Edmund realized that the ground beneath his feet was not creaky wood but leaves, dirt, and grass. Curious, Edmund walked forward a little...and came into a picturesque environment of rolling green fields, hills taller than buildings, and a clear blue sky.

This isn't England...

Edmund shouted out: "Lucy! Lucy I think I believe you now!"

No response. Lucy must have ran off without him. The only thing that kept Edmund's anger contained was the idea that she may have thought he didn't go through with her. But that was a small comfort. He was still fuming.

His first instinct was to go back through. Get out of "Narnia" and get back to England. But then his big-brother instincts kicked in, and, loathe as he was to admit it, he cared about Lucy and didn't want her wandering some odd place alone, so he reluctantly set out after her.

A few minutes of wandering, and all Edmund found was just more fields of grass and hills going off in all directions. It seemed like it went on forever. Then Edmund realized something: grass. Lucy had said that it was always snowing in Narnia. And that meant...

Oh no...I'm not even in Narnia!

Just as this realization dawned on him, Edmund felt his bare lower legs become cold, as the air around him grew frigid. Edmund began to shiver and wrapped his arms around his body. He looked down and could see the grass begin to frost over, with whole clumps of it growing black and dead. Edmund tried to breath to calm himself and could see his breath as clearly as if it were cigarette smoke.

Shire...Baggins...

Edmund's heart skipped a beat at the sound of a soft but sinister sounding voice that sounded about as warm and full of life as a graveyard in the winter. Turning around, Edmund saw atop a horse as black as the night a mysterious figure covered completely by a robe and hood of the same color as his horse, save for a pair of hands holding the reigns of the horse that were covered in gauntlets of a dark gray metal color, with sinister-looking ridges evocative of both spikes and bat wings. And there was no face to be found behind the black hood either. Just a dark blank empty void.

Shire... The figure repeated again. Baggins...

Edmund wasn't familiar with either one of those words, and had absolutely no idea what the black-robed man was trying to say, but somehow, he had a gut feeling that this man, or whatever he was, was not someone Edmund wanted to stay near.

"I...I...I don't know what you're talking about. I...I, I don't know what a Shire or a Baggins is..."

The man let out a horrible screech that was unlike anything Edmund had ever heard before. It was a horrible unearthly wail sounding like nails on a chalkboard mixed with an eagle crying. And it was definitely not a sound any human made.

Edmund grabbed his ears as he found the very sound physically painful. His courage also felt sapped from his body, what little he had of it anyway, and fear overcame him. He sank to his knees, closing his eyes tightly and continuing to cover his ears. But it did no good. The black-robed figure's horrible screeching continued and the sound continued to pierce his ears like an arrow through the chest.

Edmund cautiously opened one eye and could see that the figure had drawn a large sword of a dirty gray metal color. It was then that Edmund's survival instinct kicked in, and whatever fear he felt at the figure's presence and its unearthly shrieking and wailing, some part of him just knew that he had to run if he wanted to live.

So he bolted. He ran as fast as his skinny legs could carry him, putting far more energy than he had ever put into running before, continuing to sprint far faster and longer than he ever thought possible, ignoring the fierce and nigh unbearable pain his lungs eventually began to give in protest. He just kept going.

But he continued to hear the screeching. The black-robed figure was giving chase. Edmund didn't bother to look back and just kept going. But even in survival mode, his body began to tire eventually. He slowed, and no matter how much he willed himself to keep running his body could take no more. He could hear the hooves of the robed man's black horse growing louder. The dark robed figure was getting closer, his shrill cry continuing to pierce the air...

"STOP!"

The hooves stopped, and Edmund dared to stop as well, his lungs feeling like they could burst at any moment. Looking in the direction of the cry, Edmund saw a regal-looking white carriage being pulled by a pair of bears with fur the color of snow. The carriage's occupants were an odd pair to be sure: one was an incredibly short man, with a pointy red hat and a comically long gray beard. But the woman next to him was massive, towering over both her companion and even, Edmund suspected, the figure in black, who at that moment hissed at her in a venomous tongue:

This does not concern you White Witch...

"How dare you address the Queen of Narnia that way wraith!" The little man said angrily.

I serve and acknowledge no queen king, ruler, or master but Lord Sauron. And the Dark Lord grows weary of searching...

"Tell your lord Sauron that we have no wish to offend him or intrude on his designs for this world, for we have him to thank for my queen-ship over Narnia. We are as much as his servants as you, but all I ask is that you not slay the son of Adam. Let me take care of him" The woman's voice was authoritative, with a British accent. Her face seemed wearied, not elderly, but definitely not young either, with the sharpest cheek-bones Edmund had ever seen on a woman her age. Her dirty blonde hair went down only on the left side of her, going past her shoulder. Her eyes were hard severe, and again weary, and she wore over her head a crown that was made of icicles.

The black-robed figured hissed darkly but then responded: "Very well witch. Take the Son of Adam. See to it that he does not trouble Lord Sauron, or death will be visited upon you"

And with that, the black-robed figure let out another screech and raced off in the opposite direction on his night-colored horse. Edmund could see the "White Witch" shake her head as she watched him disappear. The White Witch then turned her attention to Edmund. "You would do well to stay away from the Nazgul son of Adam."

"Nazgul?" Edmund asked confused.

The White Witch shook her head before asking: "What are you doing in Middle-Earth Son of Adam?"

"Middle-Earth?" Edmund asked confused. "You mean Europe? I've always lived in Europe! But I've never seen a "Nazgul" before..."

"I see...what is your name Son of Adam?"

"Uh...Edmund. And my father's name wasn't Adam, it was..."

"Anyway Edmund..." The Witch said, cutting him off. "...this is not the world you know. It is Middle-Earth, the first of the three realms, and the one that exists in-between the extremes of your world and mine."

"I...I don't know what you're talking about...look, I'm just trying to find my sister..."

"Your sister? How many are you?"

"Four. Peter, Susan, me, and Lucy. Lucy's been to a place called "Narnia" before, said she met some faun called "Tumnus" or something but we didn't believe her. When she tried to drag me along, I ended up here instead..."

The White Witch didn't respond, instead falling silent and going deep into thought. Edmund couldn't make out a single emotion of any kind behind those black eyes of hers, which felt unsettling to look at to say the least. And there was again, the fact that she was massive, easily the tallest woman Edmund had ever seen.

Finally though she said: "Edmund dear, would you like me to make you anything to eat?"

Edmund raised an eyebrow as he found himself a little taken aback by the question. He hadn't exactly expected to be asked something like that, but then he realized that his sprinting away from the "Nazgul" had left him in need of energy.

"Uh...could you maybe make me some Turkish delight please?"

The White Witch nodded and with a wave of her hand, some of Edmund's favorite food materialized in his hand. Pleased, Edmund greedily gulped it down, his hunger suppressing any manners his mother might have taught him. As he finished, the White Witch said to him: "Now, Edmund, I have no children of my own. You're the sort of boy I could see becoming a prince of Narnia...or perhaps even a king"

Edmund's eyes widened in disbelief. He liked the sound of that. "Really? A King?"

"Of course. I only ask one thing in return...you must bring your family. I would like to meet them"

"I guess I could bring them..."

"Excellent. My house is in Narnia, right between the two great hills beyond the wood you will be greeted with upon entering Narnia"

Edmund nodded. "I think I can remember that"

"Good. Smart boy, I can tell. Anyway, I must be off now..."

"Hey wait! Can't you at least send me back to my world!"

"Oh there's no need for that Edmund my dear. Just follow the way back to where you had entered into this world. You can go back through that way.

"Uh, OK..."

The White Witch nodded and then walked off to her carriage. Getting on along with her dwarven sycophant, she was soon off, leaving Edmund behind.

"So...a king of Narnia eh? That would show all of them!"

And with that, Edmund made his way back to where he had come into this "Middle-Earth"...

...And ended up back in the room with the wardrobe. And standing there was Lucy.

"There you are Edmund! I was worried sick about you! Did...did you get into Narnia?"

"Uh...something like that, yeah. Did..."Mr. Tumnus" ever mention place a called "Middle-Earth"?

Lucy thought about it a moment and then said: "I think Mr. Tumnus might have mentioned it once but I don't remember...come on! Let's go tell Peter and Susan!"

And before Edmund could say a thing to stop her, Lucy was off, and Edmund was forced to follow behind, grumbling as he went.

"Peter! Susan! We've just come back! It's there! It's really there!"

"What are you talking about?" Peter asked

"Narnia! It's all in the wardrobe like I said. I saw Tumnus! And Ed came too!"

Ed. He hated it when she called him that. He felt that it was so patronizing. He always found himself getting touchy and feeling annoyed whenever Lucy started talking to him as if she were his mother.

Peter turned to Edmund: "Edmund, did you see the faun? Where you in Narnia too?"

"Well, he was...wait, what were you doing Ed?"

"I..." What was he about to do was mean and obnoxious, he knew it, but there was also an element of fear to what he was about to say next. He didn't want them knowing. Not yet. So he acted instinctively and chose to lie: "...I was just playing along. You know how little children are. They just don't know when to stop pretending"

His choice of words were especially condescending and patronizing in equal measure. He could see Lucy fight back the tears in her eyes as her face took on a look of total betrayal.

"Fine! I don't care what you all think! I know what I saw!"

And with that, Lucy ran off, and Edmund was left feeling guilty.

But it will all be worth it in the end... He kept telling himself. I'll be a king in the end. Then they'll all see...

**Author's Note: Figured I'd try to give Edmund a bit more of a reason for lying. Make him slightly more sympathetic I guess…while simultaneously making him a bit more of a "troubled child" near the beginning there…ah well.**


	5. Separated

Chapter 5: Separated  
>Peter raced through the halls to find Lucy, ignoring Susan and Edmund's bickering as he did so. He was panicking, and was glad that his two siblings couldn't see it with his back to them. Finally, he arrived at the room Lucy was in and threw the door open.<p>

"Quick Lucy! We have to hide!"

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked angrily. "I'm in no mood to play games with you"

Susan spoke up for Peter: "Edmund went and threw a ball through the library window"

"Old Ms. Macready will have our heads if she finds us!" Peter added.

Edmund spoke up, indignant: "Its not my fault! Peter threw the ball to me in the first place..."

"Enough!" Susan said, taking charge. "Everyone follow me!"

And with that, the four siblings raced through the familiar halls of the mansion, blindly heading in a random direction in their desperate bid to evade the cantankerous care-taker of Professor Kirk's mansion. Eventually, their mad dash through the halls led to the room with the wardrobe.

"In here!" Peter said.

"Hide in that musty wardrobe? You've got to be joking Peter"

"I'm perfectly serious. Do you want to get caught?"

Susan heaved a sigh of resignation in response. And so, Peter and his siblings raced into the wardrobe. In the back of his mind, Peter knew that they couldn't hide forever. Eventually, they'd have to reveal themselves, so in effect they were only delaying the inevitable, which would also probably only worsen their punishment. But in his haste and fear, Peter, nor any of his siblings for that matter, wasn't exactly thinking about any of this...

He and his siblings fumbled through the darkness of the wardrobe, pushing past coats and the like as they found themselves without sufficient vision, stumbling around as if they had all been inflicted with blindness.

"Move back!" Peter ordered. "Stop shoving!"

"Ouch! You're on my foot!" Lucy cried

"Don't push!" Edmund hollered, while ironically pushing Peter, albeit accidentally. Nevertheless, the push was forceful enough that Peter went tumbling backwards, knocking into Susan as he did.

"OUCH! Peter!"

But it was too late to halt his fall. Peter went tumbling down along with his older sister, struggling to get back on his feet as he followed in the direction of the sound of Susan's moving. Continuing to move along, Peter found his shoes touching grass and mud…

…And then he looked out and saw a grassy plain.

Dumbstruck by the scenic image he had been greeted to, Peter just stood there staring out into space while Susan got up fully. She looked around, just as much in awe as Peter was.

"Where...where are we?"

"I...I don't know...but we need to go back to Lucy and Ed..."

"HO! Don't be so hasty now young ones!"

Peter and Susan's attentions turned to the sound of the jovial voice and they saw dancing around a short plump man in dark blue pants and a coat the color of the summer sky. He wore a yellow belt and boots, had an impressive grayish-white beard, and a medium-sized blue hat with a large feather stuck to the side.

"Hello there! Greetings to ya Son of Adam and Daughter of Eve! Lovely day in the first of the three realms isn't it?"

Peter didn't know about his sister, but he for one was completely confused at the sight of this bizarre man. He asked, nervously: "Who...who are you?"

"Why, I'm Tom Bombadil! Master of wood, water, and hill! Or so my wife Goldberry says...in truth I prefer to keep my true nature obscure. I suppose I have the maker to thank for that..."

Peter found himself growing increasingly wary of this strange fellow who by his own admission preferred to keep his identity a mystery. Peter didn't trust strangers, and right now, this "Tom Bombadil" wasn't doing anything to change his opinions on that subject.

"Anyway, I think we'd better run along now. You two need to be sent in the direction of your paths."

"What?"

"You didn't seriously think you came in here because coincidence was paying a visit do you? Oh no, you two have a little something called destiny at your doorstep. So are you going to let him in and stay awhile? Or are you going to be rude and turn him away?"

Tom Bombadil chuckled lightly to himself as Peter found himself growing more and more confused with the strange fellow. Susan spoke up: "Look, we don't know what you're talking about, but I don't believe in destiny. I just want to go back home to England and out...wherever this is..."

"Middle-Earth daughter of Eve. The first of the three realms. I should know, I'm older than all three!"

Again Tom Bombadil chuckled lightly to himself and Peter found himself growing incredulous, not to mention impatient. But then all of a sudden, Bombadil's jovial and easy-going demeanor grew more serious, as did the tone in his voice: "Anyway, we must be going, this part of Middle-Earth tends to be a bit unsafe if you're not a warrior...and very unsafe if you are one. Follow me"

And before Peter or Susan could say anything, Tom Bombadil danced off into the distance, humming a tune to himself as he did. Peter and Susan exchanged a glance that was equal parts bewilderment, incredulousness and weary resignation. It was Peter who reluctantly said what they were both thinking: "I think we should follow him"

Susan nodded and she and Peter found themselves struggling to keep up with Tom Bombadil, who turned out to be far faster then his dancing and pudgy form would suggest. As they did, Peter turned to Susan and began speaking with his sister: "So I guess Lucy might have been telling the truth after all…"

"Maybe" Susan said nonchalantly. "But we're not in Narnia. This…"Bombadil" Susan was clearly struggling to pronounce the name correctly. "…Says that we're in "Middle-Earth". Seems rather odd. I would think that by that he would mean England…"

"Who knows?" Peter said with a shrug. "Maybe we are still in England…or _a _England at any rate…"

The two siblings continued following Tom Bombadil, Peter silently marveling at how the curious fellow had not ceased at all in his dance, but instead kept it going throughout their trek through the grassy hills. It was truly an impressive feat, though Peter also wondered how he wasn't getting dizzy…

"Wait…" Susan said, breaking the silence. "…You said that this part of "Middle-Earth" was dangerous…why?"

Tom Bombadil ceased in his dance and turned to face Susan and Peter, his cheerful demeanor and chipper tone again growing somewhat serious: "There are dark forces at work in these parts daughter of Eve. The Eye is calling all manners of evil to him. Orcs, Wargs, Trolls, even some of the men of Middle-Earth of less noble character have been led astray into joining the flaming scoundrel."

"Wait…there are…men here in Middle-Earth?"

"Oh yes, daughter of Eve, many. This was the home of all of em in fact before good ol' Eru decided to throw the dog a bone so to speak and created "regular" Earth for most of them to go to, safe from the magics and mystical dangers of _this_ world…"

Peter and Susan exchanged a nervous, silent glance, not really understanding any of what Tom Bombadil was saying. Really it all came off as babbling to them, but there was something about the man that made Peter think that maybe it wasn't just inane rambling…"

"Anyway…" Bombadil said, continuing, "…some of said men, mostly from the South and the East, have been drawn to the Eye's side, and this here grassland is one of many places that is a frequent source of fighting between them and the rangers that like to roam about here. Nasty place during that time, nasty place…that's why like most places I don't come here except once every six mo—"

Bombadil was cut off when an arrow went sailing through the air and pierced his hat, knocking it right off his head in a sight that had Peter not been in the vicinity and thus in danger as well, would have considered almost comical, especially given Bombadil's accompanying facial expression.

Peter and Susan's attention had since turned to the source of the arrow. Standing on the hill were several armored individuals, covered from head to toe in their intricate and finely crafted suits. The armored parts themselves were of a steel gray color, but also ridged, almost resembling the scales on a fish or reptile, but also looking vaguely like spikes. Underneath the armor they wore garments of an either blood-red, rich indigo, or maroon color, which extended to a head-scarf that their helmets were worn over. The helmets themselves were adorned with three crests going off in opposite directions, and covered most of the men's faces, accompanied in this effect by what looked like a black mask worn over the mouths. This left only left the men's eyes and the small parts of flesh surrounding them visible, and in said eyes there lied nothing but hatred and viciousness, at least as far as Peter could tell.

One of these men pointed at Peter and Susan and shouted at them an accent that Peter was unfamiliar with: "Gondorians!"

Peter didn't know what a "Gondorian" was, but knew that these men were not friendly. Anyone who would cut down two hapless teenagers was not a good person by any stretch of the imagination, that much he knew.

He turned to Susan and said quite simply: "Run"

Nodding in agreement, Susan took off, with Peter right behind, neither one bothering to figure out where Tom Bombadil had gone off to in the chaos. As Peter kept running, he saw another arrow land in the ground mere inches from where he was, his heart pounding ever faster in response as terror struck him and surged through his whole body.

"Hold your fire!" He heard the same voice shout. That gave him no comfort, or any incentive to slow down, so he kept running, only for his armored pursuers to gain on him. Before Peter knew it, two of them had grabbed him, quickly putting a stop to his struggling with a whack to the side of the head with the butt-end of a sword. His head now throbbing, Peter gasped in pain and doubled over, praying that at least Susan had gotten away…

Only to see her being restrained by two more of the men, kicking and screaming before one put a rope around her mouth to silence her. Peter got a similar treatment.

"What should we do with them?" One of the armored men asked the apparent leader. He did not respond.

"They do not look like any Gondorian peasants I have ever seen. Or Rohan for that matter"

"Then who could they be?" The leader asked irritatingly. "They certainly aren't ours, or Harad's."

"Whoever they are…" Another added, "I don't like the look of them. Too much like the cursed Gondorians for my taste"

"I don't know…" Another one said, his sly and smug voice dripping into a sneer as he neared Susan and held her face in a vice-grip between his thumb and index finger.

"…This one seems pretty enough. I'm sure Morgoth's temples could use another concubine, or maybe something…different"

The man said that last part without a hint of subtlety, and Peter was old enough to know what the sick and depraved monster would do to his sister if he had his way. Peter struggled with renewed determination but the men's grip was firm. But the leader raised a hand.

"Don't be disgusting Leucaner. She's just a girl. We may be at war with Gondor, but we're not butchers like those disgusting orcs. You'll keep your filthy hands to yourself"

"Leucaner" grumbled but nevertheless released his grip on Susan. It was about then that an arrow sailed through the air and struck one of the men holding Peter in the back, causing him to howl in pain but not kill him. Letting go of Peter to yank the arrow out of his back, Peter seized on the opportunity to try and tear himself free from the other one's grip but he held firm…until another arrow sailed through the air and struck him in the small part of his face that was exposed.

"DAMN!" The leader shouted. "Dunedain! Fall back and remobilize!"

Abandoning their prisoners, the men raced to avoid the now hailstorm of arrows that was raining down on them with a vengeance, all the while cursing a blue streak, albeit not swears that Peter was familiar with. Tearing off his rope gag as Susan did the same, he and his sister got up and raced away from their armored assailants as they engaged their unseen enemy.

The two kept going, hoping that they wouldn't run into any more of the armored men or these "Dunedain" that were attacking them.

Eventually, the two stopped to catch their breath, now a good couple miles away from the scene of the battle. Peter huffed and panted as he struggled to gather his bearings. Tom Bombadil had not been lying when he had said that the area was dangerous...

"There you two are!"

As if Peter's mere thinking had summoned him to him, there Tom Bombadil was, with a new hat on his head with a identical to his previous one. He was smiling pleasantly, as if the current situation were considerably less bleak.

"Where the hell did you run off to?" Susan demanded angrily. Peter could tell Susan had been shaken by everything she'd been through, not the least of which involved being at the mercy of the armored soldiers and almost being turned into a sex object.

Bombadil shook his head. "Sorry daughter of Eve. I'm not exactly a fighter you see, so I disappeared when the Easterlings showed up."

"Easterlings?"

The armored soldiers that attacked you. The wicked men of the East. Servants of Sauron they are"

"Who's..." Peter shook his head. "You know what? Never mind. If its important, I'm sure I'll learn about it later."

Tom Bombadil nodded. "Oh, that you will, that you will. Anyway, let's keep moving. We should reach your destination soon if we follow my...secret path."

"Our destination?"

Bombadil nodded. "Yes, your destination. As I said, destiny's knocking at your door, and you two need to answer it. You're both here for a purpose..."

Bombadil trailed off before his face became a serious frown.

"More Easterlings are coming, and they're with goblins. Nasty little creatures. We'd better keep going..."

But as Bombadil said this, two poisoned arrows flew through the air, narrowly missing him, Peter, and Susan and embedding themselves in the nearby willow tree. Bombadi shook his head.

"Tsk tsk. I don't like willow trees but even they don't deserve _**that.**_"

Peter ignored him and nervously turned to see the source of the shots. Standing there was the most disgusting thing he had ever seen in his life: It was short, a head or so shorter then him, hunching, with lanky green limbs and a small head with pointy ears, misshapen features, fangs, pointy ears, and hateful bulging chartreuse colored eyes. Over his body he wore jagged black armor and in his hands he held what Peter could tell was a bow, albeit a small and crude-looking one. Soon, several more of the creatures had shown up, some with more armor then others, and some with their ugly faces covered by black helmets that looked almost like a monster with jaws swallowing their heads whole, leaving only their eyes exposed.

"Goblins! I hope you know how to throw a punch son of Adam. Otherwise we're done for!"

Susan turned to Tom Bombadil. "Can't _**you **_do anything?" Susan demanded.

"Well, I uh..." Tom Bombadil trailed off before nodding. "Yes, I can. Stand back Son of Adam. _**I'll **_take care of these little green pests!"

Peter found himself incredibly skeptical that this strange goofy little man could stand up to a small gang of these monsters, but all of his doubts immediately dissipated as Bombadil danced into the group and with a single punch knocked two or three goblins high into the air.

"HA! Take that servants of darkness!"

Another punch. Another pair of Goblins went flying. Peter just stood there, his jaw hanging open in shock. Whoever this Tom Bombadil was, he was _much _stronger then he looked.

"Ha! Another two!" Bombadil danced out of the way of one goblin's sword slash and back-handed him over the hill, chuckling as he did so. "HA! Like Tulkas the Strong I laugh in battle!"

And soon, all of the goblins had been downed or fled from their eccentric attacker. As they did, Peter looked on in total shock and silent wonder. Bombadil examined one of the goblins he had knocked out.

"Hmm...jagged black armor, beetle-helmet, poisoned sword...these goblins are from Moria. A little far from home these creatures are. And apparently with the Easterlings. That's not good...the Eye's reach has extended farther then I thought of he's recruited these creatures into his service..."

"Look," Susan said, growing greatly frustrated and impatient as she spoke: "I really don't know who you are, _what _you are, where we are, or what the bloody hell you want from us, but I am _not _a daughter of Eve, I _don't _believe in destiny or want to "invite it in", and I _don't _want to stay in this place with goblins and carnal soldiers!"

There was a long silence between three for a while as Susan just stood there fuming before Tom Bombadil turned to Peter and whispered: "That daughter of Eve is a fiery one. I feel pity for any servant of Sauron that stumbles upon her"

Tom Bombadil turned back to Susan and said, more seriously then he ever had before in the very short time that Peter knew him: "Listen to me daughter of Eve: The Dark Lord Sauron needs to be stopped. If he is not, then his armies of evil will swarm all over this world, and I, my wife Goldberry, and every other living thing here will die or become slaves and servants to Sauron's will. Now you may not believe in destiny daughter of Eve, but _please _at least follow me through my secret path and allow yourselves to help this world"

Again, there was silence. Peter took in what Tom Bombadil had told him, and, his conscience taking over, he turned to his sister: "If what he says is true, we can't just let a whole world die. If we can help, somehow...I say that we do"

Susan sighed deeply. "Peter, this isn't a time to play heroes. You saw what kind of things we'll be up against if we fight. I don't want to die! I want to go back to England and see Lucy and Ed again!"

"There they are!"

The three's argument interrupted, they turned to the source of the voice and saw more Easterlings, armed with halberds and scimitars. Tom Bombadil turned to Peter and Susan: "Well my friends, its now or never. Will you follow me?"

It wasn't a hard decision. The alternative was certain death or worse if the one Easterling's attitude towards Susan was any indication. He turned to Tom Bombadil: "Get us out of here"

Tom Bombadil nodded, and danced off in the distance, with Peter and Susan taking off right behind. They raced through a forest, hoping to lose the Easterlings amidst the maze of towering trees. Struggling to remain together, Peter and his sister kept running after Tom Bombadil, following him into a bright light in the distance...

...And ending up someplace else, with a very strange group of nine there to meet them. 

**Author's Note: I had a lot of fun with this chapter. And yes, I know that Tom Bombadil speaks in rhymes, but that just wouldn't fit with his role of Mr. Exposition. Even if he didn't have that role, I still couldn't make him do that the way Tolkein did if my life depended on it. Still, I had fun including him.**


	6. The Queen and her Pawn

Chapter 6: The Queen and her Pawn  
>Jadis was growing impatient. It had been many days since she and the Son of Adam had crossed paths and still he had not come to her with his family. Of course, time passed much more quickly in Narnia then it did on Earth, but even so, Jadis grew sick of waiting. The Son of Adam, for his sake, had best not let her down...<p>

The doors to her icy throne room opened with a faint creaking noise, shaking Jadis out of her thoughts. Her loyal Dwarf servant Ginnabrik stepped in, nervous as always when addressing her, and especially so when he saw the look on her face. It was one of no pity, empathy, compassion, or anything resembling emotion.

"What is it?" Jadis asked, her tone not menacing or obviously angry but still carrying a subtle hostility. "Why have you disturbed me?"

The dwarf stammered for a moment before finally clearing his throat and saying: "The Eye calls for you my queen."

The Eye. Sauron. Her master, and fellow Maiar. Of course, Jadis was only a _half_-Maiar, but she would never admit this. As far as she was concerned, she was easily as mighty and deadly as any full Maiar. They had once said when she was young that she would one day surpass the Isitari in terms of magical power. By this point, Jadis had assured herself that she was now very much their superior.

Ans as it was she didn't like to think of Sauron, or any being for that matter, as a "master". But, the Dark Lord had given her the power increase which had allowed her to conquer Narnia, and so long as Jadis was allowed undisputed control of that realm, she cared not for what Sauron did to Earth or Middle-Earth. And so therefore, she could, at the very least, consider him a strong ally. And one she knew, did not like being kept waiting. She supposed she could empathize with that at least.

Jadis nodded and rose from her throne, following her pint-sized sycophant through the ominous frozen hallways, bypassing the statues of two fauns and a fox who dared to speak out against her before coming to an iron door that was guarded by two Cylops.

"Leave us" Jadis said simply. The Cyclops, dumb as they typically were, understood this simple command and moved out of the way, allowing Jadis entrance. With a wave of her hand, the iron door's many locks and mechanisms becoming unlocked and the door swung open with a creeking sound, revealing a little "gift" the White Witch had been given from the ruins of Amon Sul: A Palatir. One of the Seven great "seeing stones" with which Jadis could contact and communicate with Sauron whenever she or the Dark Lord desired an audience, although in the former case, Sauron did not always wish to be bothered.

Jadis strode forward and extended one of her gaunt bony hands over the sphere, with its deep rich blue color and what looked almost like small strands of cloud trapped within, the whole Palantir coming off as looking like the night-sea. But as Jadis kept her and raised above it, a small orange light appeared in the center of that dark blue night sea, until it grew and expanded until the whole Palantir had been covered by the distinctive Eye of Sauron.

"What is it you want Lord Sauron?"

Sauron spoke in a voice who's darkness spoke of the long millenia he had endured in agony, all the centuries spent recovering and festering his hatred. A part of the White Witch almost pitied the poor fools who still remained in Middle-Earth. Almost.

_"The time for the final war on Middle-Earth is about to come...I have already commissioned the White Wizard to build me an army worthy of Mordor, and the Mouth has gone to the Southlands to win the allegiance of the nomads and pirates there. But you will also have a part to play in my conquest witch."_

"What is it you desire Lord Sauron? Minotaurs? Cyclops? Ogres?

_"No. The hordes of wretched beasts you have accumulated may remain where they are. No...I speak of the men in your lands. Those who came from beyond the sea and became an empire among peaceful the beasts of that realm."_

Jadis raised an eyebrow. She knew who Sauron was referring to, but given their ancestry she could not understand why he would wish to recruit them.

"Lord Sauron...the Telmarines are descendants of your most hated enemies...why would you wish to recruit them?"

_"As pawns and tools only witch. In time they too will feel my wrath. But this will be only after they aid in the eradication of their distant cousins in the White City. Therefore, witch, __**you **__will sway them to our side, and when the time comes, you will send them over to Middle-Earth so that they may help decimate the last true descendants of Numenor..."_

Jadis nodded. She understood Sauron's plan. Slaughter the descendants of his enemies with some of their own, and then after they realized the betrayal too late, annihilate them as well. A truly insidious plan, but perhaps that was only to be expected.

"It will not be easy my lord. The Telmarines are a proud people who keep their distance from the rest of Narnia's inhabitants. They will not likely be quick to enter an alliance with me."

Sauron's voice rose in anger: "_Find a way witch. I have waited far too long and spent too much time preparing for this gambit. It will __**not **__fail. And __**you **__will not fail me if you value your immortal life."_

Jadis nodded. "I will not fail you Lord Sauron"

Sauron made a noise that almost sounded to the White Witch's ears as an indignant and disbelieving "hmph" but she couldn't be sure. Regardless, his orders were clear. The Telmarines would join her and Sauron, or pay dearly for the fatal arrogance of refusal.

Ginnarbrik came in nervously at that very moment.

"What news my queen? What does the Eye command?"

Jadis looked at him hard and without remorse and then said as cold as her domain: "We have work to do"  
>-X-<br>Edmund found himself freezing and shivvering as he stood in a snow-covered land that his shorts were not suited for. So this was Narnia. He had seen Lucy's little fantasy world and the White Witch's home at last.

As if on cue, Lucy turned to him and smiled smugly. "Don't worry Ed. I'm sure its just your imagination"

"Look Lucy, I'm sorry. But I didn't actually have much choice. I didn't end up in Narnia when I went through the wardrobe, I...I ended up somewhere else. So what was I supposed to say? That there just happened to be _another _world behind the wardrobe? Come on Lucy, use your head"

"OK...I guess I can understand that. Wait...you said the wardrobe took you somewhere else?"

Edmund nodded. "Yeah. A place called Middle-Earth. My guess is that's where Peter and Susan are now. I don't envy them. I was only there for a few minutes and I almost got killed.

Lucy's face took on a worried expression. "Then we need to go after them and help!"

"Lucy, don't be ridiculous. I still don't how I even got into Middle-Earth the first time. Peter and Susan are smart. Well, Susan is anyway. And Peter won't let her get hurt. They'll be all right...I hope."

"I don't know...if you almost got killed over there Ed I really think we should go back and try and help them..."

"How? Lucy, be sensible: we're the youngest, the smallest, and I can't run for 15 minutes without having a heart attack. All we'll do going over there is put ourselves at risk. And Peter and Susan wouldn't want that..."

"I...I guess you're right Ed. I just hope Peter and Sue are OK..."

"They will be. Now...Lucy...you've been here before. What do you think we should do?"

Lucy thought about it for a moment. "I...don't know...why don't we go and visit my friend Mr. Tumnus?"

Edmund shrugged. "Sure, why not. Not like I've got much else to do in this frozen wasteland..." Privately Edmund hoped that the Witch hadn't somehow overheard him refer to her realm as that.

The two siblings went back to the wardrobe and grabbed a pair of fur-coats from the wardrobe to make the trek through the snow-covered woods easier, and then went off, with Lucy leading the way and Edmund begrudgingly following behind. It wasn't long before they came to the entrance to Tumus's house...and Edmund saw that the windows had been smashed and the door ripped off its hinges and left to lie in the snow. But Lucy rushed in anyway.

"Lucy wait!"

Cursing under his breath, Edmund followed Lucy in, and the two younger Pensive Children bore witness to a once comfortable residence that had now been thoroughly ransacked, with small tables overturned and Mr. Tumnus' possessions scattered and/or broken on the floor. It didn't take Edmund long to realize what had happened.

"He's been kidnapped"

"But who would do such a terrible thing? Mr. Tumnus is nice..."

Edmund looked around and saw a note pinned on a wall. A good bit of the writing was a language Edmund did not recognize, but below he saw words that had been written (albeit poorly) in English. Edmund read it: "The faun Tumnus is hereby charged for High Treason against the Queen of Narnia for fraternizing with humans. Long live the Queen and the Great Eye."

Edmund threw the note to the ground. "How splendid" he said in total deadpan. "I think its high time we _did _turn back"

"But what about Mr. Tumnus?" Lucy asked.

"If he was arrested for being with humans, there's nothing we can do"

"You don't understand: _I'm_ the human! The Witch knows he helped me!"

"I figured as much" Edmund of course neglected to mention how he had been, albeit accidentally, responsible for revealing Tumnus' betrayal to the White Witch when he had met her in Middle-Earth. Perhaps he should have told her but he'd only just gotten her to forgive him for lying to Peter and Susan about Narnia before, and besides, he was counting on the White Witch to make him a king of Narnia one day. Thus, he kept silent.

"Well, anyway, we need to save him!"

"But why Lucy? I mean, he _is _a criminal. What if the queen's right?"

Edmund would rather Lucy come with him willingly and accept the White Witch without being forced, as he had been, so he hoped that he could perhaps convince her to see things his way.

"Psst!"

Edmund whipped around to the sound, but saw nothing. Lucy also looked confused.

"Ed, did something just "psst" us?"

Curious, Edmund and Lucy exited Mr. Tumus' ransacked home, Lucy stopping only to grab Tumus' discarded but still intact pan-pipe, and went back outside. Upon exiting, they were greeted with a beaver staring at them. Lucy smiled and extended a hand.

"Come here little beaver, we won't hurt you"

"You don't have to speak so slowly" The Beaver said in a mildly stuffy British voice. "I can hear you just fine thank you"

"It's a TALKING Beaver!"

The beaver turned to face Edmund for a moment but said nothing. He turned back to Lucy.

"Lucy Pensive?"

"Yes, that's me..."

The Beaver eyed Tumnus' Pan-Pipe, which Lucy now held in her hand.

"That is Mr. Tumnus' Pan-Pipe..."

"Yes it is. He's been kidnapped. Is he OK?"

"I have much to tell you, but there are spies in the forest. Follow me"

The two did so, going through a winding maze of ice, snow and trees as the beaver led them on, also helping them avoid patrolling dwarves and little pale creatures with beaks and blades attached to their arms that when asked who they were, the beaver said "Ankle-Slicers". Finally, after what felt to Edmund like hours, they came deep into the woods, the sky having since become a bit darker, indicating that it was either dusk or nearing it. When he was sure he was out of sight, Edmund turned to Lucy and whispered: "How do we know we can trust this...this...beaver?"

"He said he knows Mr. Tumnus..."

"He's a beaver" Edmund hissed indignantly. "He shouldn't be saying anything!"

The beaver stopped and turned around to face the Pensive siblings. "Everything alright?"

"Yes, we were just talking"

"That's better left for safer quarters. Stay close-my home is to the north"

And the three kept walking along in silence, again the trip feeling like it was taking forever in Edmund's mind. Finally though, they arrived at a large frozen lake. At the other end of it was what Edmund recognized as a beaver's den.

"Here we are. Oh good-looks like Mrs. Beaver has the fire going"

A woman's voice rang out of the den: "Dear? Is that you? Its about time you got home. Supper's waiting!"

Out came another beaver, apparently the source of the female voice. She looked at Edmund and Lucy.

"I never thought I'd live to see this day. Come inside and we'll see if we can't get you some food."

Lucy smiled. "Thank you, uh..."

"Mrs. Beaver daughter of Eve. Now come inside"

Edmund shook his head as the bizarre sight of a pair of talking Beavers but nevertheless followed Lucy inside. As they ate some food Mrs. Beaver had somehow prepared despite lacking human fingers, Lucy asked: "So is there anything we can do to help Mr. Tumnus?"

"They'll have taken him to the Witch's castle" Mr. Beaver replied simply, then adding sadly: "Few ever return"

It was then that Mrs. Beaver came down again and added: "But there is still hope"

"Oh, there's a bit more then hope my dear. Aslan is on the move!"

"Who's Aslan?" Edmund asked.

"Why, Aslan, he's the real king of Narnia! Or rather its guardian. Maiar like him aren't really supposed to rule over us like kings and queens after all. But if we had to choose, we'd make Aslan our king in a heartbeat!"

"He's been far away for a long time" Mrs. Beaver added. "But he's back now, and he's waiting for you children near the Stone Table"

"He's waiting for us?" Lucy asked

Mr. Beaver turned to his wife. "They don't even know about the prophecy!"

He turned back to Lucy, but as he was speaking, Edmund decided that he had had enough. He left as the beavers were speaking to Lucy about how a "great war" was brewing between the realms of Middle-Earth and Narnia, and something about a son of Adam and daughter of Eve being in each world or somesuch but that was all that Edmund heard as he left the Beaver's home and made his way to where the White Witch had said her castle was...

Lucy wasn't going to come with him. He realized that now. She was too caught up in the magic of Narnia and hopelessly lost in her innocence and naivete. And Peter and Susan were stuck in Middle-Earth. So he would have to go to the White Witch by himself.

He hoped that he could still become a king anyway.

**Author's Note: Another chapter I had a fair bit of fun with. Now that the two realms are really interacting I'm enjoying myself. And with the mention of the Telmarines, its time to reveal a little thing about my crossover…**

**Because the CoN series is **_**seven books long **_**there is no way I'm going to be able to squeeze it all in. Therefore, I settled on a fun compromise: the Narnia-verse, as one could guess, takes place during "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe", BUT characters and story elements from the other books will be included, like the Telmarines from Prince Caspian, who are indeed here descendants of Numenor. I'll go into detail on that later on.**

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Next one will be back in Middle-Earth.**


	7. The Fellowship

Chapter 7: The Fellowship  
>Susan Pensive had not been having a pleasant last few hours to say the least.<p>

Lost in a world she didn't know, stuck with a deeply irritating eccentric little man, attacked and almost turned into a sex object by armored soldiers, attacked again by goblins, and now face-to-face with the nine strangest-looking individuals she had ever seen in her life. And she still had no idea how to get back home.

She suppressed an exasperated sigh as she took in the appearances of the nine. Two were fully grown men, one with somewhat long brown hair, a stubble, hard gray eyes, and brown and gray clothing with a green hooded cloak. The other had hair of around the same length, but red instead of brown, and wore clothing that looked fancier then that of his counterpart. It was mostly dark blue or indigo, with maroon short sleeves and what Susan recognized as chainmail in between the sleeves and the leather gloves. Both men also brandished large swords, which made Susan uneasy. Indeed, both looked sullen and no-nonsense. Definitely not two people she would want to make angry.

There looked to be two more men as well, one looking very old, with a gray beard that rivaled Tom Bombadil's in length, as well as gray robes and a pointy hat that looked blue but also had faded and lost most of its color, so that it was not much more vibrant then the man's robes. Between the attire and the wooden staff, Susan took him for a wizard but also saw that he too had a scabbard with a sword inside.

The other man was more lean then his compatriots, who like the brown-haired man wore a green cloak and leather armor but his seemed of a finer quality. He also had a long bow and quiver filled with arrows over his back, and Susan could make out a pair of long knives in scabbards on his sides. His hair was long and dirty-blonde, his eyes somewhere between green and blue, perhaps aqua or teal, and most unusual of all, his ears were pointed and shaped like no ears Susan had ever seen before.

And then finally there where the other five. Four almost looked to be around Susan and Peter's age except there was something in the face of the particularly chubby one and also the look of quiet pain on the dark brown-haired one that seemed to suggest that the four were older then they appeared. Susan also noticed how their feet were bare, large, and hairy. Not a pleasant sight needless to say.

The fifth midget, however, was clearly a fully grown man in spite of his small stature, with a long red beard, a gruff expression, full armor, and an axe in hand, as well as two small ones at his sides. And the other four short ones were armed as well. Between all of them, Susan would say that she and Peter had stumbled upon another group of warriors. But none of them even remotely resembled the Easterlings that had attacked her and Peter. Perhaps they were the "Dunedain" the Easterlings had mentioned...

The old man spoke, his accent distinctly English: "Tom Bombadil. I see you have brought some friends"

Susan could see the short ones with the hairy feet exchange looks with one another upon hearing Tom Bombadil's name. Bombadil smiled in response and said: "Sure do Gandalf old friend. These are a Son of Adam and Daughter of Eve, but I believe they prefer being called "Peter" and "Susan" respectively. They stumbled into Middle-Earth from their world"

"Gandalf" nodded in response and then turned to the rest of his group: "Go on ahead. I will take care of this"

The group nodded respectively and walked off. Gandalf waited until they were out of earshot before turning back to Bombadil: "Now Bombadil. May I ask why have you decided to dump this "Son of Adam" and "Daughter of Eve" into our laps instead of sending them back to their world?" Gandalf asked in a polite but inquisitive manner. And Susan could tell by his choice of words that he was not happy to see them, or probably even Tom Bombadil for that matter. Well the feeling was mutual, at least on Susan's end.

Bombadil's expression grew serious for a moment. "You know as well as I do why Gandalf. You'll need them both in the future. Destiny has plans for them"

"Yes, yes, destiny. Always something happening because destiny says so..." Gandalf said gruffly. He eyed Susan and Peter critically, which made Susan uneasy. The last thing she wanted was to run again.

Finally though, Gandalf said: "So then, tell me "Peter" and "Susan"...what do you think of Middle-Earth so far?" Gandalf smiled as he asked this question and Susan just stared at him incredulous. But her surprise quickly transitioned into fury. Faced with this mysterious old wizard's casual question was enough to make her snap.

"What do I think? I think this place is a nightmare! I wasn't here for 10 minutes before some armored men tried to kill me! Then goblins! And this idiot constantly dancing around and prattling nonsense!"

Gandalf looked at Tom Bombadil as Susan said that last bit. Bombadil just shrugged. Peter spoke up for Susan: "Uh...I think what my sister is trying to say is that our stay here has been less then enjoyable...what with us almost getting killed several times..."

"Yes, well, if you intend to stay here for any length of time I'm afraid that you'll have to get used to that. Middle-Earth has become a very dangerous place in recent years. The Dark Lord has been summoning all manner of evils to him..."

"Yes, that's the thing" Susan said, speaking up again. "I've heard about this "Dark Lord" and "Eye" several times, but who or what is it? And why is this such a problem for you all?"

Gandalf shook his head and muttered something Susan couldn't understand. He then looked back at Susan again, this time with an expression that Susan couldn't quite pin down, but whatever it was, she was getting the distinct impression that he regarded her as stupid, which only vexed her more.

"The Dark Lord has many names. The Eye. Annatar. Gorthaur the Cruel, Thû, The Necromancer, The Dark Lord of Mordor, Master of Treachery, Lord of Barad-dûr, The Dark Power, and the Lord of the Rings. But the name he is most commonly referred to is "Sauron". The details and hows and whys of the situation are unimportant to you at this time. What you must know is that Sauron desires something one in my company possess. If he acquires it, it will mean the end of this world, and then yours as well. None will escape the flames of Udun as they consume everything in their path with Sauron at the helm. So Sauron cannot be allowed to regain what was once his"

"Then...then what are you going to do?"

"Destroy it" Gandalf said flatly. "In the fires of Mount Doom from which it was forged. Only there can the ring can be destroyed. Nothing else can harm it, not even the fire of a dragon. As our dwarf companion demonstrated to his mild injury and humiliation back in Rivendell."

"That...dwarf has a dragon?" Susan asked, realizing too late that she had mis-heard what Gandalf had said and now looked like an idiot.

"No. He swung an axe at it. But back to the matter at hand: you two. I do not know why you are here or what fate has in store for you, but if you are truly here for a purpose, then I suppose I can permit you two to accompany my Fellowship on our little adventure, assuming of course that you are both up to the challenge"

Susan looked at Peter, already getting a feeling for how he would respond: "Peter, don't you dare say yes"

"Susan, if what these people are saying is true, I don't think we can just abandon them. Especially if we really do have some special destiny here"

"Destiny? Please don't tell me you believe that Peter"

"I'm not saying I do necessarily, but we can't abandon them. We should help. I mean, I don't see how we can back to England anyway, so we might as well"

"But we don't have any weapons! As if we even knew how to use them!"

"Not to worry Daughter of Eve! I came prepared"

And with this, Tom Bombadil magically produced from his person a bow long enough to be held by Susan, as well as a quiver filled with arrows.

"These are yours daughter of Eve. The bow is made from a Mallorn tree, and the bows not unlike those used by the Elves. Truly a weapon fit for a queen"

Bombadil then turned to Peter: "And for you Son of Adam, I give you this"  
>Susan watched Bombadil produce another item out of seemingly thin air, this time a cloth covering what Susan knew was a scabbard. Sure enough, Peter took the cloth off and beheld a sword that was just big enough for him to wield effectively, assuming of course, he knew how, which he didn't.<p>

"But we don't know how to use these weapons!" Susan protested.

Gandalf chipped in: "Oh, I'm certain that Aragorn and Legolas can teach you two what you need to know. Anyway, time grows short. We have already spent too much time discussing this. The time has come for you two to decide."

"Wait...if we say no, what will happen?"

"Why, then we leave you here. I'm fairly certain that you two will do quite well surviving in Middle-Earth alone"

Susan and Peter exchanged a nervous glance with one another. Susan faced Gandalf again: "And...if we do help...will you promise to send us back to England?"

Gandalf nodded. "I assure you, I will do my utmost"

Susan turned to Peter again for his opinion. He shrugged in response. "I guess we don't have much of a choice Sue. At least he'll send us back if we help..."

"Assuming we don't die first...fine, fine. I can't believe I'm saying this, but we'll help"

Gandalf smiled. "Excellent. Now then, let's get moving, its time I introduce you to the rest of the Fellowship."

Gandalf walked off and Peter followed. Susan paused, intending to speak to Tom Bombadil one last time, only to see that he had disappeared. The eccentric man who had been the first person in Middle-Earth Peter and Susan had met was gone as if he had never even been there...

"Susan! You coming?"

Susan turned to see Peter beckoning to her. Snapping back to reality, Susan raced after him.  
>-X-<br>In the time that followed, Susan and Peter got to know each of the Fellowship a little better, as the long trek gave the two siblings opportunity for little else. And besides, the members of the Fellowship were very curious to learn more about these two visitors from another world.  
>The men's names were Aragorn and Boromir. Aragorn was apparently some kind of ranger, apparently of the "Dunedain" the Easterlings had mentioned. He was quiet most of the time, polite, but severe in demeanor, as if there was some great struggle going on behind his hard gray eyes. Boromir too also came off as dour, but less so. He seemed more outgoing then Aragorn, and he would frequently speak of a "White City" and of his father "The Steward". He would frequently question both her and Peter of various things. Of all of them, he seemed the most eager to learn of what their world was like. And thus Peter and Susan had to go to great lengths to describe the wonders of their world to Boromir. The differences, the similarities. Even, sometimes, their family.<p>

Then there was the one with the pointy ears, who apparently was not a man but an Elf. His name was Legolas. He was a prince of some kind apparently, and it showed in the way he carried himself, though Susan wouldn't have exactly called him spoiled. Just proud. Not as proud as Boromir, but proud all the same. He was also some legend with the bow, and whenever the Fellowship made camp, Legolas would teach Susan how to use her bow in their spare time. It proved to be an incredibly frustrating thing to try and master, and seeing Legolas pull it off effortlessly and with inhuman skill only served to irritate her further. But Legolas seemed to be of endless patience, calmly and politely telling Susan what she was doing wrong, what she needed to work on, and also taking the time to sometimes give out praise. In the Susan figured that if she had to learn to use the bow, Legolas was as good a teacher as any.

Then there was the Dwarf, Gimli. He came off as a gruff and anti-social sort, who of all the Fellowship was the least perturbed (at least visibly) by the addition of people from another world into the group, and was also the one member of the Fellowship who never once asked Susan or Peter what their world was like. That said, he seemed to be reasonably laid-back at times, occasionally indulging in "Dwarf Humor" as the others called it. Susan also observed that he did not seem to get along well with Legolas, often grumbling when Legolas passed by him, and generally attempting to keep his distance from the elf.

And finally there were the other short ones, who Suan learned were "hobbits". Though they were indeed much older then they appeared, two of them, Merry and Pippin, seemed to act like children, more often then not behaving as the most easygoing and laid-back of all the members of the Fellowship, frequently joking and making references to a "Farmer Maggot" and past pranks they had pulled on him.

The other two however, were considerably more mature in demeanor. Sam, though he sometimes came off as a mildly clumsy and misplaced everyman, he also seemed to the most serious of the four hobbits. Then there was Frodo, who rarely if ever left Sam's side. He was quiet and reserved, to a degree that he made Edmund look outgoing and chatty by comparison. He kept to himself, speaking only to Sam and Gandalf about things Susan did not understand. And then there was that golden band that he wore around his neck...

Susan always found herself somewhat drawn to it when she saw it. It was intriguing, but in a way that Susan could not describe. For whatever reason, she was drawn to that golden band, which almost seemed to be calling to her at times, as ridiculous as that seemed.

The nights were the worst part of all of it. Susan didn't enjoy having to sleep outdoors, to say the least, in manners considerably less comfortable then a proper bed, and with the occasional loud snoring of Gimli or the indecipherable mutterings of Gandalf, who also disturbingly enough, slept with his eyes open.

And then there were the dreams.

She'd have them every night she slept in Middle-Earth of different things and people and events that she could not understand or recognize.

She was confronted with a bright light shining through, almost blinding in its brilliance. Past these golden rays that went off in all directions, Susan saw the endless green hills and fields that seemed to make up Middle-Earth. She also saw white mountains, lands as black as charcoal, and an island past the waves, a place that gave off such a pleasantness but also seemed so far away and unobtainable...

Other times she saw things more tangible, people mostly, memories of those closet to her. She would see images of her little sister's innocence, her younger brother's sulking, and her older one's struggle to keep them all together. She would sometimes see her mother, who people had sometimes said she resembled, and of her father, long separated from his family and slowly getting harder and harder for her to picture in her mind. How long had it been since he'd gone off to war and the family had been torn apart?

But these images, of either family or sights, were the least of it. The more she slept in this world, the more Susan would see things and places she had never seen before...

She saw...  
><em>An older man and his wife, the former looking exhausted and melancholic the latter hopeful. In her arms she bore a young baby, pining for his father's attention. And he gave it, his weariness and invisible burden lifted however briefly. His wife spoke to him: "Do not fret my husband. All is good. You now have a son. I am sure he will make a fine king one day"<em>

_"I do not doubt it my love. I am just...nervous is all. Miraz has always hoped that his own children could succeed me as king, or perhaps even himself. I just hope that he won't do something rash..."_  
><em>"Your brother would never betray you. The idea of it disgusts me"<em>

_"I hope you're right..._

_The baby cried out for its parents attention again, and the mother rocked it back to sleep._

_"Easy now Caspian. Your mother is here..."_

She saw...  
><em>An island across the sea to the west. A tall man with long dark hair and pointed ears, suggesting an Elf, with a stern and unforgiving demeanor as he tirelessly worked on something of great import. Three majestic jewels, glowing brilliantly that though Susan only saw it as a dream or vision she felt as if she could be blinded. And indeed, for a moment her vision went white from staring into the bright light...only to give way to just one of three bright stones in the hands of one who only had one hand. He screamed in agony, dropping the stone and leaping into the sea, killing himself from the unbearable pain he had experienced. With him was another man, with long dark hair and pointed ears in a way that resembled the maker of the stones but younger in appearance. Tears streaked his face as he fell to his knees and cried out in woe.<em>

_"Doom! Doom has befallen the House of Feanor!"_

_In anger, the man, or Elf, grabbed the bright stone and angrily chucked into the sea that had claimed his fellow. And then he walked away, wandering the shore-line aimlessly and wailing in lament of things Susan did not know or understand. But most of all, he condemned "The Oath"..._

She saw...  
><em>Gandalf speaking with yet another Elf with long dark hair, and hard gray eyes. They spoke of matters Susan only partially grasped at:<em>

_"...And Saruman you say has betrayed us. Our list of allies grows thin" The Elf finished that last part with just a touch of acidic sarcasm. _

_"His treachery runs deeper then you know. There are worse things then Orcs in Isengard now" Gandalf replied. "By some foul craft, Saruman has somehow fused Orcs with men, creating an unnatural race of hybrids. An army that can move in sunlight and cover great distance at speed. Saruman is coming for the Ring"_

_The Elf sighed deeply at this and put his hand to his face. Finally, he said: "This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves. We do not have the strength to fight both Mordor and Isengard!" The Elve's voice neared a yell as he finished before calming himself and continuing, now much more calmly: "Gandalf...the ring cannot stay here. This peril belongs to all of Middle-Earth. They must decide how to end it. Not just for themselves or even for all who dwell here, but for all in all three realms. The time of the Elves is over, my people are leaving these shores. Who will you look to when we are gone? The Dwarves? They like us are on the verge of becoming a gone and forgotten race though they will not admit it. What remains of their number here do as they always have, hiding in their mountains seeking riches. They care nothing for the troubles of others..."_

_Gandalf stood silent for a moment. But then he said, quite plainly: "Men. It is men that we must place our hopes..."_

_And that was all of the conversation of the past at a time unknown that Susan Pensive was bore witness to. Now she was assaulted by yet more sights, each one stranger then the last, and coming faster..._

_She saw a small group of dwarves holed up in a dark square chamber with a single ray of light coming down on a white stone. The Dwarves were clearly struggling to barricade the door and keep some unknown force out while an old dwarf that was clearly badly injured was desperately writing something down in a dusty old book, reading his recording out loud as he wrote it: "They have taken the bridge, and the second hall; we have barred the gates...but we cannot hold them for long...the ground shakes...drums, drums in the deep...we cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. Will no one save us? We cannot get out...they are coming"_

_She saw a dour-looking man who looked quite similar to Boromir but with his hair dirty blonde instead of red, silently and solemnly overlooking a ruined city and the men who guarded it as large rocks fell from the skies and smashed into the already shelled out ruins, as fell inhuman shrieks pierced the air..._

_She saw an utterly devastated and broken land, a world without any hint of light and a sea of death and destruction as far as the eye could see. And amidst this carnage Susan saw herself, and her siblings...looking almost happy but an odd kind of happiness. The kind of look one had when they knew they were going to die after living a good long life. And with them was a great lion and many others, all leaving...without her._

_"NO! Please don't leave me behind! Don't leave me!"_

_But it was too late. Already they were all beginning to disappear. First the assembly of animals and creatures Susan did not recognize, then the Elves and men, and then finally her siblings and the lion..._

_"DON'T LEAVE ME!" Susan shrieked as her siblings vanished forever, never to be seen by their sister again. Susan fell to her knees amidst the broken wasteland of shadow, flame, and death, sobbing uncontrollably._

_"Don't leave me..."_

_And there she just continued to sob silently, alone...forever._

Susan awoke with a start, sweat trickling down her forehead and her heart pounding as she tried to ease the stress and tension that wracked her entire body following her series of dreams and visions. She looked around. Everyone was still asleep, including her brother. Apparently her gasp of pain and anguish had not awoken them.

Susan turned over to Gandalfdf, who continued to sleep with his eyes open. She thought for a moment that her perhaps he might help her to understand her dreams, or at the very least put a stop to them. He _was _supposed to be some kind of wizard after all...

But Susan quickly dismissed the idea and attempted to go back to sleep...

**Author's Note: Wow! Longest chapter to date! Better clarify a few things…**

**Most of what Susan saw in her various dreams/visions will come into play later on**

**Legolas' Appearance: In the books, Legolas has brown hair and green eyes. In the movie, he's blonde with blue eyes. Now, I had said that the LoTR universe is a mix of the books and the movies. The solution then? Legolas here is dirty blonde with aqua eyes! Aren't I a genius?**

**And that's everything for now. Its back to Narnia next chapter!**


	8. Prince Caspian

Chapter 8: Prince Caspian-Edmund and Caspian

Edmund gasped in pain and agony as he collapsed on the icy ground, completely out of breath and drained of energy from his long, slow, torturous ascent up to where the White Witch's castle lay. After leaving Lucy and the Beavers, Edmund had struck out on his own, following the directions the White Witch had given him to the best of his ability. For a time, Edmund had feared that he wouldn't be able to find the place and would freeze to death. But lucky for him, he eventually came within sight of the Witch's ominous looking fortress. And now that the aforementioned trek to it was behind him, Edmund forced himself up with the last of his strength, his oversized coat the one thing that kept him from freezing to death, and slowly limped over to the great place, paying the field of statues surrounding the area no heed at all. Eventually, he arrived at the massive double-doors and weakly knocked on them.

To his mild surprise, the doors opened...revealing a tall lumbering beast with tanned skin that did not look happy to see him at all. Nevertheless, it growled: "The queen has been expecting you..."

And then without warning, the creature grabbed Edmund and hoisted him aloft with one arm, marching into the interior of the Witch's palace with him in tow. As Edmund was carried to the queen, he could see more statues littering the Witch's palace, both animals and creatures that he did not recognize.

Finally, Edmund was brought up to a throne of ice and steel upon which the White Witch sat. She said nothing upon seeing Edmund, merely raising a curious eyebrow. Edmund's "handler" then threw him roughly to the ground, where he landed hard. Edmund smothered a cry of pain and forced himself up, looking down to his knees now bleeding ever so slightly.

The White Witch dismissed the brute and he lumbered off. She then addressed Edmund: "So sorry dear Edmund. Ogres are a rather crude race sometimes" Her words should have been ones of assurance but Edmund's ears noticed a coldness to her tone. A lack of genuine apology or concern. She continued: "So, Edmund...where are your siblings?"

She had asked him the one question he had hoped she would not ask. But for all his dread Edmund knew better then to try and weasel his way out of this particular sticky situation. So he decided to be honest and hope for the best: "Uh...well...the thing is...my older siblings never came to Narnia...they...I think they're either still in London or in Middle-Earth..."

The Witch's eyes became intense, their usual coldness suddenly disappearing as Edmund told her this. But then, as quickly as it came, her eyes returned to their usual calm and she asked in a tone that suggested she was struggling to remain calm and civil: "And...you're younger sister?"

"She...she came here with me but I..." Edmund gulped and finished in a low whisper: "...I didn't bring her"

"THEN HOW DARE YOU COME HERE!" The White Witch suddenly roared, prompting Edmund to jump back in fear, trembling as the White Witch's eyes became colder still, now resembling chips of ice. The look in them contained no warmth, compassion, or empathy. Just icy contempt.

"Edmund..." the Witch said softly, her voice becoming deceptively soothing once more, "I asked of you a very simple thing and you failed to deliver. Now how can you possibly become a king of Narnia if you cannot even accomplish such a simple task?"

"Well, its not that simple!" Edmund said, desperately trying to save his skin, now fully aware just how delicate and deadly his situation had become. "I told you my older siblings didn't come, I think they're in Middle-Earth! And Lucy wouldn't leave these talking beavers!"

The Witch raised an eyebrow upon hearing Edmund mention the beavers. She said, again, her voice still deceptively calm: "So your sister is with the Beavers then?"

Edmund nodded. "Yes, she's still with them last I saw of her"

Suddenly, the Witch's lips formed into a slight smirk but rather than being a sign of warmth or happiness, this slight smirk was an absolutely terrifying sight to behold. It was a smirk devoid of joy. It was as empty as her cold gaze. And the sight of it made Edmund's fear increase all the more.

"Thank you Edmund. You have proven useful after all..."

Edmund's heart was racing, and he still felt weak from his climb up to the Witch's fortress. He knew that he was now completely at the White Witch's mercy, and now with her true colors exposed to him, he was cursing his deal with the devil.

"_I'm such a fool..."_

Nevertheless, Edmund had to ask: "So...what's...going to happen to me?"

The Witch's unsettling smirk only seemed to widen as Edmund asked this. "Oh, I believe that I can think of something. For now though, I have some...accommodations prepared for you"

And before Edmund could say anything more, he felt a hard blow strike the back of his head and the world went black.  
>-X-<br>Prince Caspian lay on his bed, eyes staring up at the ceiling. He should have been asleep by now, but his mind was instead fixated on other things.

His father had died, and so by rights the reigns of the kingdom of Telmar should have been given to him, but his uncle Miraz insisted that Caspian was far too young for such a responsibility and in all honesty Caspian agreed with him. Though he had been groomed since birth to take over the Kingdom of Telmar and keep its borders safe from the Narnians and the Witch's hordes, he still felt that the experience required to lead a kingdom effectively was not yet his.

_"Experience will never come if you don't try the thing to begin with" _

The words of his mentor Doctor Cornelius' rang in his ears. And he was right, but Caspian still felt that perhaps his uncle should lead for a time and through him Caspian could learn how it was done. Both Miraz and Cornelius dismissed the idea, citing Caspian as the one true ruler, and no one else.

The Kingdom of Telmar had begun to suffer in recent decades. As one of the only areas of Narnia not under the White Witch's total control, the Telmarines had had many sorties with the Witch's hordes of abominations over the years, both friendly and not-so-friendly offers of alliance and sometimes even outright attacks. Caspian's father had beaten them back whenever they became too bold, but the years of doing so had taken their toll and, mixed with a growing paranoia that his brother could not be trusted, caused him to eventually crack under the pressure. He finally had no choice but to step down as king for the good of his kingdom. His death followed shortly thereafter.

And now it was up to Caspian. The White Witch's forces had just recently brought forth another offer of peace. Doctor Cornelius insisted that Caspian turn it down and reject the White Witch as Telmar always had, but his uncle suggested that he consider the Witch's offer, arguing that their armies could not hold out against the superior numbers and greater viciousness of the Witch's armies forever, and also pointed out how she was the dominant force in Narnia. An alliance with them would seriously benefit Telmar.

Caspian was torn. His uncle's suggestions seemed like almost an act of surrender or submission but all the same Caspian had to admit that they weren't without merit. In truth he knew little of either the White Witch or Aslan, or really much of what went on beyond Telmar's borders, just that it was always snowing and cold and that Narnians were dangerous and often feral animals and abominations that would not hesitate to kill him or any who had Telmar blood in their veins. What little Caspian had seen of them did nothing to change these preconceptions, though he did at times wonder if all Narnians were evil. When he asked, he would either be told that yes, all Narnians were evil, or no, not all Narnians were evil but that those that weren't would still regard him as an enemy who could not be trusted.

His mind went back to his studies. Of how Telmar's ancestors had come to this world from another, their old home having been destroyed by the treachery of a Maiar whose name was never spoken. According to Doctor Cornelius, the White Witch and Aslan were also Maiar. This in turn caused Caspian to wonder: if the treachery of a Maiar had cost Telmar's ancestors their home, could they afford to trust the Maiar again? Where all of them as evil as the great betrayer?

Caspian did not know. What he _did _know however was that he could not hold off a decision forever. He knew he would have to step up and tackle the responsibilities of being king, and that he would have to make a decision regarding the White Witch's offer of an alliance. Only the assurance that he would have his uncle Miraz and doctor Cornelius watching his back eased him.

_They'll make good advisors... _Caspian thought satisfied.

But then, as if merely thinking of him summoned him, Doctor Cornelius burst in at that moment, out of breath and clad in a large black hooded cloak as a means of concealment. He shut the door to Caspian's room and turned to him.

"Your highness, we need to leave. Now"

Fighting off the rising sense of confusion, Caspian asked: "Why? What is going on?"

"Your aunt's just given birth and your life is in danger" the good doctor replied bluntly. "Now come! I can explain everything later but now we _must go!"_

Caspian's mind raced with more questions to ask as he tried to grasp what doctor Cornelius had told him. Why was his life in danger? Why was his aunt giving birth a bad thing? But Caspian could also see that doctor Cornelius was visibly panicking and that if the normally calm and studious professor could be put into such a frightened and fearful state then the situation must indeed be urgent.

Nodding, Caspian got up, silently thankful that he had not actually changed his clothing, and left with doctor Cornelius. The good doctor led him through the familiar halls of the Telmar fortress, now having a strange sense of ominousness that had never been present before. As they continued Caspian could almost feel the same sense of dread that so badly afflicted his master. As they rounded a corner and continued moving, Caspian whispered to him: "Doctor Cornelius, what is going on?"

"Your uncle Miraz wants the throne for himself, and now that he has his own heir he's in a position to make a power-grab. The only thing left is to have you removed from the equation. I'm not prepared to let that happen."

Caspian felt as if he had been punched in the gut. His uncle wanted him dead? It could not be. He had always trusted his uncle, thought that he respected his right to the throne. For him to try and have him killed...it was inconceivable. And yet the urgency in Cornelius' voice told him that he was being truthful.

Continuing to run, the two finally came to the stables. Mounting horses, Cornelius directed Caspian to the old docks that represented the very spot Caspian's ancestors had come into Narnia from. As he looked on he could see that there was a boat docked there.

Dismounting from their horses, Cornelius ushered Caspian onto the boat. Getting on as well, he took out a map.

"Now here's hoping that this ship can be successfully commandeered by two men..."

"Doctor, are we truly attempting escape in this ship? Why?"

"Because if I can follow this map correctly, then we can get to the one place that will be truly safe from Miraz and the Witch."

"And what place is that?"

"Do you remember your studies Caspian? Specifically the downfall of Numenor?"

Caspian nodded. Visibly pleased that his student had retained his knowledge and thus eliminated the need for him to re-educate him, Cornelius continued: "Well to the east of our ancestor's lost home is another realm. We are going there"

"Another realm?" Caspian asked confused. "I do not recall ever being taught about "another realm"..."

"That's because few know of its existence and I thought it best to withhold the information from you, at least for a time. But now it is our best chance of survival"

Caspian remained silent as he took this in. He looked long and hard at the panicked and urgent look of his old mentor. He was still confused beyond measure and hurt at the apparent betrayal of his uncle. But nevertheless he nodded in response and set about readying the ship for sailing as Cornelius examined the map. He hunched over and scanned it intently before nodding, rolling it up and walking over to Caspian.

"We sail north. Far, far, north."

Caspian nodded in response to these simple directions and set about preparing the ship for its voyage. Once the sail had been set and the anchor raised, Caspian and Cornelius set their ship's course to the north as Cornelius had dictated.

What followed was a voyage that seemed to last for days and yet strangely the time did not change. It remained the same moon-lit night, even though Caspian could feel the hours slowly go by. It was strange to say the least.

One thing that did change however was the water. Initially calm and clear blue, the waves soon became more active, as well as a sickly green-ish color that was also soon the color of the sky. Before Caspian knew it, the waves grew more violent still, and Caspian held on desperately to the side of the ship to keep from being knocked about.

"The waves are growing more violent. That means we're getting closer" Cornelius observed.

The boat continued its hazardous sail through the waves, which grew bigger and bigger, until the ship felt almost like an insignificant little thing stuck in a massive storm. But despite this, the ship held together, and though more than once he felt bile reach the tip of his throat, Caspian held in as well. As their ship passed what looked almost like a sink-hole of sorts in the middle of the ocean, Cornelius shouted out to Caspian over the sound of the crashing waves: "Take a good long look Caspian. That is the site of your ancestor's home, now lost forever beneath the waves."

Caspian looked out, gaze fixed on the way the water flowed in and down the sink-hole like depression in the sea, apparently some kind of marker of what was once there, now buried beneath the waters for all time. Caspian couldn't help but wonder what had the power to do such a thing. To completely wipe a civilization from existence.

"We're getting closer!" Cornelius yelled. "All that remains now is to open the gateway between worlds! Hand me that horn!"

Caspian, though confused, nodded and rushed inside the ship to where Cornelius stored the things he had brought with him. Rummaging around until he finally found the horn Cornelius was speaking of, Caspian took it and rushed back outside. Upon receiving it, Cornelius said quite simply to Caspian: "You may wish to cover your ears"

Caspian obeyed and braced himself for whatever noise would come out of the horn that he had never seen before this voyage.

When Cornelius blew it, the sound was not one Caspian had ever heard before, and also not one that he expected to come out of a horn. It was a hollow echoing sound, but one that had its own sort of pleasantness to it. It was a sound that one would associate more with a flute or other wind instruments rather then a horn.

Yet for all of that it was also loud. Its echoing sound was booming and Caspian found himself grateful that he had covered his ears. As he looked out into the sea, the waves calmed, and the sky's sickly green color lifted to the color of the evening.

"It worked…" Cornelius muttered. He turned to Caspian: "We're here"

"And where is "here"?"

"Middle-Earth, the first of the three realms and the neighboring land of our ancestor's lost home"

"And we are fleeing here?"

"Yes. I'm directing the ship to a nearby shore and then we make way to one of the lands of men from there"

Caspian nodded, his mind racing with wonder at what the men of Middle-Earth were like and whether or not there were any magical inhabitants like there were in Narnia.

The ship continued its voyage, the seas now calm as could be and the sky a warm orange-bronze color. As they continued to sail, Caspian could swear that he saw several ships with white sails going off to the west but they disappeared from view as soon as they were glimpsed.

Finally, the ship came upon white shores and Caspian let out a deep sigh of relief now that they had finally arrived at their destination. Once the boat hit the shore, Caspian threw down the anchor and he and Cornelius departed from the boat.

"We shall have to push it back into the sea. We cannot have anyone knowing that we are here"

Caspian nodded, and he and Cornelius, using all of their strength pushed the boat back into the sea, and allowed the waves to do the rest. Privately Caspian regretted having to dispose of one of the last ships of his ancestors in such a fashion but in the end survival took priority.

_I only hope that it will be worth it in the end._

After disposing of the boat and taking stock of their supplies, the pair rested a short while before Cornelius led Caspian into the great wilderness that lay before them.

"We shall need to find a human settlement soon, as we have little supplies, and my gut tells me that this is as just as dangerous a world as Narnia. Perhaps more so. We cannot afford to take unnecessary risks"

"But is this entire journey not one such risk?" Caspian asked.

"No. This was a _necessary _risk. I could not allow Miraz to have you killed. You are the only hope for Telmar now but you're no good to your people dead. That is why we had to flee her. Find help. A means of overthrowing your uncle or at the very least a place to hide for a time. But all of it is necessary. Reckless certainly, but necessary"

Caspian said nothing in response, instead merely continuing to follow his mentor through the rolling hills of this strange world. His mind raced with questions about it, questions he knew could not be answered but nevertheless occupied his mind and thoughts completely and totally.

Eventually, the pair came to a flat stretch of land that was flatter then the hills they had traversed up to that point. Caspian's eyes could make out the imprints of hooves scattered throughout the ground, suggesting that many horses had come through over the ages.

As the two continued their trek, they were suddenly set upon by several men on horseback adorned in elaborate bronze armor, with lances pointed menacingly at them.

"What are you two doing here?" the leader asked. Caspian couldn't help but notice that the men who weren't wearing helmets had pointed ears.

"We are travelers, searching for shelter from the elements" Cornelius said matter-of-factly.

"Then I am afraid that you have made a most unwise choice in haven. This part of Middle-Earth is no longer safe. Orcs are everywhere, as are the men of the East. We Lancers from Rivendell cannot fend them off fore-"

An arrow whizzed through the air, striking one of the pointy-eared men square in the chest and knocking him right off his horse.

"NO! They have found us again! Disperse my brothers! Disperse!"

And with this the situation devolved into total and absolute chaos as more arrows whizzed through the air and the men on horseback panicked and scattered. Next thing Caspian knew, he and Cornelius were both running for their lives. They did not stop for anything, not even when Cornelius dropped two of his valuable books. The two only considered slowing down when the sounds of screaming and death finally began to fade.

"Where we are to go now?" Caspian asked his mentor.

Doctor Cornelius just huffed and panted in response at first, out of breath from his run, but then recomposed himself and pointed to the white mountains in the distance.

"There. If what those men said back there is true, it is the only safe direction"

Caspian nodded and than said, taking in the appearance of the mountains: "It's a long trek. We'd better get started" 

**Author's Note: As I said before, this crossover is LotR meets Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe but with characters and elements from other books in the CoN added in. That includes Caspian and the Telmarines. The horn used to get to Middle-Earth is an obvious reference to the actual horn from Prince Caspian. I figured that it could work as a means of getting to Middle-Earth, since all of the most powerful non-dark magic in Tolkein's universe is magic based, and a horn can count as music. Admittedly, its all a little contrived, but I had to think of some way to get Caspian into Middle-Earth.**

**I decided to portray Jadis as a "Faux-Affably Evil" sort, in that you know she's evil but she does her best to maintain a façade of civility and a calm tone. I know that's not quite how it was in the book and movie, but its close enough, and I figured I could take some artistic liberty anyway.**

**At any rate, this story is now a fifth done. So yeah, we still have a long way to go. Thank G-d the summer is now upon us, although I do have other writing projects lined up. Don't worry though: I will continue this one when able.**


	9. Khazad-Dum the Black Pit

Chapter 9: Khaza-Dum the Black Pit

**Author's Note: OK, I really apologize for the obscenely long delay. I got caught up in another writing project and also real life, so there was a great big delay. That and I wasn't sure how to continue this for a while. But here's now, so thanks to everything who's been patient, and I hope you enjoy my take on the single best chunk of **_**Fellowship of the Ring**_**!**

"Speak friend…and enter!"

"Well what does it mean?"

"Simple really" Gandalf said matter-of-factly. "_If_ you're a friend you speak the password, and the doors will open"

And with that the Gray Wizard took to saying a variety of things that to Susan and her brother's ears sounded like nothing but nonsense. But evidently Gandalf thought they had some meaning. But that didn't change the fact that the stone doors with glowing inscriptions on them were not opening.

Susan sighed. The Fellowship's journey had taken them to this stone door with intricate designs and writing in a language only Gandalf seemed to understand, and apparently they were expected to go through it. When asked why, Susan was told that it was the ideal route to take if they wanted to get to Mordor as safely as possible. The door would lead to a set of Dwarf-run mines named Moria led by Gimli's cousin. It had been the Dwarf who had suggested the route in the first place.

Deciding to occupy their time while Gandalf tried out different passwords, two of the hobbits, Pippin and Merry if Susan remembered correctly, took to skipping stones into the river until Aragorn stopped them.

"Do not disturb the water" he said in a grave tone that brooked no argument. Nodding, Pippin and Merry ceased in their stone skipping and just sat still…until then deciding to walk over to Susan.

_Oh no…_

"So…uh…its "Suzie" right?"

"_Susan _Pip" Merry corrected him.

Pippin nodded. "Right, right, my apologies. So, I've been wondering, and I know you've been asked this before, but…what's it like over in your world?"

Truth be told the last thing Susan wanted was to tell the members of the Fellowship about her world for the hundredth time. But nevertheless she decided to be a good sport for once and humor the hobbit: "Well, for starters we don't have second breakfast" she said with a smirk, recalling the hobbit's apparent fondness for that meal.

"What? Shocking! Shocking I say! How can you people do without second breakfast? What about tea?"

Susan nodded. "Yes, we have that"

"Ah good, good. So…any partying? Us Hobbits love a good party you see"

"Yes, we do. Mostly birthday parties though…and Christmas I guess"

"What is "Christmas"?"

"Oh, it's a holiday we have where we spend time with our families and receive presents and celebrate—"

Susan was cut off by the sound of the stone doors finally opening with a creaking sound. Turning to face the now open door, Susan and the two Hobbits began to make their way in with everyone else. As they did, Susan, curious, asked Gandalf: "So what was the password?"

"Mellon, the Elvish word for Friend"

With the doors now opened, the members of the Fellowship began to file into the ominous-looking entrance to what could only be described as total darkness. A doorway into a void.

_There is no life, in the Void…only…__**death**__. _The words of the giant eye of fire from Susan's nightmare came to the forefront of her mind and she shook her head to be rid of said images. Then her ears picked up what sounded like rustling, but not the kind of rustling one heard from leaves or mud but…water.

Turning back around, Susan saw nothing, and then quickly turned back around to follow the Fellowship and her brother into the darkness of the mines. As the group made their way through the darkened halls, Gimli spoke to Legolas, his booming voice echoing through the cavernous depths: "Soon, master elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves; roaring fires, malt beer, red meat off the bone. This, my friend, is the home of my cousin, Balin...and they call it a Mine..._a Mine!_"

Gimli chuckled, but his mirth was cut short when Gandalf lit up the darkness with his staff, and the horrors the shadows had hidden were presented to the group's eyes in all their ghastliness.

Everywhere around them, the skeletons of Dwarves long dead lied, many of the corpses riddled with black arrows identical to the ones used by the Goblins that had pursued Susan and Peter earlier. Others had different crude weapons embedded into their bones, their now rusting armor having proven to be an inadequate defense.

"This is no mine…" Boromir said grimly "It's a _tomb_"

Legolas yanked out one of the black arrows embedded in the chest of the nearest Dwarf skeleton. He needed only a quick look at it to deduce what Peter and Susan already knew: "Goblins"

Boromir turned to Gandalf: "We make for the Gap of Rohan. We should never have come here"

Before Gandalf could even think about the situation the Fellowship was now in, a loud thud caught everyone's attention. Whipping around to the source of it, Susan and the others turned just in time to see a long, spindly thing, a tentacle, Susan quickly deduced, shoot out of the water and wrap itself around Frodo's ankle. As Susan and all of the others looked on in horror, Frodo was pulled back by the thing, screaming in terror as he was hoisted into the air by it. And then, out of the murky waters came the source of the tentacle.

In her short time in Middle-Earth, Susan had seen her share of ghastly sights, but this creature that lurked beneath the water was possibly the worst of them all. The thing resembled the monsters and abominations described by an American author Edmund was a fan of, with a stretched out face resembling an octopus with circular, medium-sized shiny black eyes and a mouth resembling the maw of a piranha.

As Aragorn and Boromir raced forward to try and get to Frodo, several more tentacles, as few as eleven or as many as twenty or more, Susan couldn't tell, burst out of the waters and whipped around so quickly that she was hard-pressed to keep track of how many there were. Either way, the mess of sickly, snake-like limbs kept the two warriors at bay, even with Aragorn and Boromir doing their best to hack off as many as they could. They could not, it seemed, get them all, and as a result the Lovecraftian abomination continued to have Frodo in its clutches, dangling the Hobbit over its tooth-filled maw, with Frodo screaming in terror the whole time. Susan couldn't blame him. The monster was the most terrifying thing she had yet seen during her brief time in Middle-Earth.

Legolas raced forward and fired an arrow into one of the creatures black eyes. The creature howled in pain and finally threw Frodo to the ground where Aragorn caught him. As the two made a run into the mines, Boromir followed, also trying to continue to keep the foul beast at bay. Finally, the three made their way through the entrance, and not a moment too soon, as the creature then lashed out with its remaining tentacles, striking the stone doorway and causing it to break apart, a mass of rubble raining down over the entrance and trapping the Fellowship in the pitch-black mines. Privately, Susan was actually relieved that this had happened, if for no other reason than she was now safe from the monstrosity outside.

"We now have but one choice" Gandalf said simply as he lit up the darkness with his staff once again. "We must face the long dark of Moria"

And so it was that the Fellowship began to make its way through the pitch-black hallways and caverns of the now lifeless Mines of Moria. As the trek continued, Susan's earlier relief at being in the mines and safely away from the monster in the water began to dissipate, the tight confines of the mines, lack of light aside from the one coming from Gandalf's staff, and the almost unbearable smell of death and decay that punctuated the entire mine all combined to give off a claustrophobic atmosphere that Susan wasn't sure she would be able to stand for too much longer.

"Everyone stay close" Gandalf had cautioned. "It is a four day journey to the other side, and there are older and fouler things than Orcs and Goblins in these mines..."

Eventually, the Fellowship came to a large set of stone steps leading to three different doorways. At this junction the Fellowship paused as Gandalf looked at the three different routes with a puzzled and confused expression.

"I have no memory of this place..."

And so Gandalf the Gray sat in front of the three different routes for what felt like hours as he tried to decide which one the Fellowship should go through. As the minutes ticked by at an unbearably slow speed, Susan could hear the hobbits Merry and Pippin start to whisper amongst themselves, with Pippin whining that he was hungry. Susan shook her head. If those two were any indication of what most hobbits were like, she couldn't claim to be a fan.

Susan's thoughts were interrupted when she saw Frodo see something off in the distance and then make his way over to Gandalf. As he spoke to him, Susan willed herself to listen in: "...he's been following us for three days"

As Gandalf said this, Susan panicked and looked around for any sign that someone other than the members of the Fellowship was there. But she saw nothing. Only darkness. Whatever Frodo had seen and whatever Gandalf knew was there was well-hidden.

Susan's ears could hear more of Gandalf and Frodo speaking: "...its a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance" Frodo said ruefully.

"Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many who live deserve death, and some who die deserve life. Do not be too quick to deal out death and fatal judgment. My heart tells me that Gollum still has part to play in this, for good or ill..."

Gollum. So that was their pursuers name. Susan looked out again to see if she could see him but her eyes saw nothing, save for a shadow that seemed to move away from the Fellowship. Could that be Gollum?

Seeing his sister distressed, Peter walked over to her. "Is everything alright?" Peter asked. Susan felt like snapping at him, as the answer was quite obviously no, and she was still mad at him for thinking it would be a good idea for them to stay in Middle-Earth in the first place, but rather than give her brother anymore grief, Susan said in as calm a tone as she could manage: "No, no its not. We're stuck wandering around in this dark, filthy place, surrounded by death..." she shook her head. "...its so unpleasant. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss that boring old mansion..."

Peter made a light smile. "Yeah, so do I. Who would have thought right? That we would actually want to go back to that old place...but then again..." Peter looked out at the caverns. "...I suppose we never expected to end up in a place like this did we?"

Susan shook her head. "Absolutely not. I never imagined anything remotely like this, not even in my wildest dreams. Elves, Dwarves, Goblins, Wizards...it all seems like something out of a book doesn't it? Like we're part of some fantasy or story..."

"Well technically we _are _part of a story. This world's story. And I think its as good a story as any other personally"

"Really? You don't think all of the monsters trying to kill us and some "Great Eye" that wants to destroy the world isn't at least a little bit distressing?"

Peter smiled. "Yeah, I suppose all of that's no fun, but every story needs a conflict."

As Peter said this Susan couldn't help but smile. Her brother meant well, and always looked after her, Edmund, and Lucy, even when they didn't appreciate it. It really did mean something to her, having an older brother who loved and looked after her, and now that the two of them were stuck in this situation, lost in another world and still separated from their younger siblings, she couldn't help but appreciate his attempts at making light of their current predicament.

Then after a few more moments passed Gandalf stood up and made his way over to one of the three passages. "Its this way" he said.

"So you finally remembered?" Merry asked.

Gandalf shook his head. "No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down there. When in doubt Meriadoc, always follow your nose"

The Fellowship made their way down the passage, venturing further and deeper into the mines. Finally, they came to stairs leading up. Taking them, they came to a massive cavernous space with large pillars as far as the eye could see and blackened walls.

"Behold! The great realm and Dwarf City of Dwarrowdelf. Founded by the first of the Dwarven Race: Durin the Deathless. Come, we still have a ways to go before we reach the Bridge of Khaza-Dum, and we cannot linger..."

But as Gandalf said this, Gimli caught sight of a smashed up wooden doorway leading to another room, and within a pedestal atop which lay a white marble coffin that a ray of light shone down on. Embedded in the door where many black arrows and to the sides were small skeletons clad in rusting armor identical to the ones worn by the Goblins that had chased Susan and Peter earlier.

Gimli rushed forward, ignoring Gandalf's calling out to him. The other members of the Fellowship followed him inside the room, where the graveyard that it was became fully evident. Dwarf and Goblin skeletons were everywhere, with mostly broken weapons littering the floor like leaves in a forest. Rushing up to the sarcophagus in the center, Gimli sank to his knees.

"No..."

As Gimli began to burst into sobs, Gandalf walked up to the sarcophagus and read the inscription written upon it in Khazdul: "Here lies Balin. Son of Fundin. Lord of Moria. He is dead then. It's as I feared."

As Gandalf said this Gimli began to sob louder and louder. Legolas turned to Aragorn and whispered: "We must move on. We cannot linger"

"This is a nightmare..." Susan whispered, finding the overwhelming amount of death greatly upsetting to say the least. She wondered if this was at all what it was like for her father and the other soldiers fighting against the Third Reich...

As Susan thought this, she turned to see Gandalf grab a rotting book that was being held in the clutches of its long-dead writer. As Gandalf did this and read some of the book's contents she realized to her horror that this, all of it, was exactly what she had seen in her dream, save that now the Dwarves were all long dead. The Goblins had killed them all.

"...they have taken the bridge, and the second hall. We have barred the gates, but we cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums...drums, in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark...we cannot get out...they are coming"

Susan found a growing terror rising in the pit of her stomach. The current situation she was in was bad enough, but now the events of what she had only hoped was a mere nightmare had proven to be a prophecy of sorts, and in fact even more complicated than that. She had seen the Dwarves in their last moments alive, seen the long dead Dwarf whose skeleton still clutched the book Gandalf now read write down exactly what he had just read out loud. It had been happening, or had happened, and Susan had seen it. What did it all mean?

A loud series of clangs and ringing noises harshly shook Susan out of her thoughts. She and everyone else whipped around to the source, which was coming from a stone well that was off to the corner of the room. Standing next to it was Pippin, who had evidently knocked something down into the well, if the embarrassed wincing expression on his face was anything to go by.

A few moments passed, but there was only silence, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Gandalf shut the book and put it under his cloak.

"_**Fool **__of a Took!" _the old wizard said harshly before reclaiming his hat from the hobbit. "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your _stupidity!_"

As Gandalf berated Pippin, Peter took to looking around the room. As he did he happened upon a Dwarf Skeleton wearing a fearsome looking helmet that was still intact. Taking it off, Peter turned to Gimli, now resting his head on the sarcophagus.

"Excuse me, uh...Mr. Dwarf. What is this?"

Turning his head, Gimli's eyes lit up at the sight of the helmet Peter now held in his hands.

"That...that is a Dragon-Helm" Gimli said in a tone that was paradoxically both excited and gruff. "Worn by only the fiercest of Dwarven warriors. They are said to be able to protect the wearer from even the flames of a dragon, hence the name and design."

"I can assure you they do no such thing" Gandalf said gruffly, to which Gimli only snorted in annoyance.

Then, all of a sudden, a thudding, drumming sound could be heard echoing throughout the mines. As the Fellowship listened to it, it was clear that it was the thudding rhythm of drums, banging again and again. Frodo drew his sword, and the blade was glowing blue.

"Goblins!" Legolas hissed.

"Get back!" Aragorn shouted to the hobbits "Stay close to Gandalf!" As he said this, Aragorn grabbed some discarded axes and propped them up against the door as Boromir swung it closed, saying in an exasperated tone as he did: "They have a Cave Troll"

As Boromir said this, Merry, Pippin, and Sam nervously drew their swords alongside Frodo as Boromir took out his broadsword and shield. Aragorn and Legolas aimed their bows at the door, and Susan hesitantly followed suit. Instinctively donning the Dragon Helm he still held in his hands, Peter readied his own sword and stood in-between his sister and Boromir. Drawing his axe as well as grabbing a second one he found amongst his fallen kin, Gimli stood atop the sarcophagus and growled: "Let them come. There is one Dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!"

As the Fellowship got into their positions, banging resounded throughout the cavernous depths of Moria as the army of Goblins that had been summoned by Pippin's foolishness attempted to break down the doors. Pieces of wood were pushed forward and splinters and loose chips of wood were both sent flying as the often jagged black blades of the Goblins pushed through some parts of the doors. As this happened, Susan and Peter both felt themselves tensing up and panicking. Neither one had ever been in a fight before, never mind one where their enemies would try to kill them, and they in turn would have to kill to defend themselves. Suddenly both Peter and Susan realized what they'd gotten themselves into, and how it was likely them biting off more than they could chew.

_We're in a war" _a horrified Susan thought. "_And this is a battle"_

Aragorn and Legolas each let fly with arrows that sailed through the holes in the door made by the Goblins, each one finding its target in a Goblin, all of whom let out a shriek of pain as they were hit. Then the goblins finally managed to break down the doors completely, and the two large pieces of rotting wood collapsed to the ground as a horde of the same lithe, light-green skinned creatures clad in black armor that had attacked Susan and Peter earlier came surging forward in a sea of bloodlusted hatred.

Letting out battle-cries, the Fellowship met the horde of Goblins head-on, Boromir blocking one's sword strike with his shield and screaming as he brought the full might of his broadsword down on the goblin. Aragorn and Legolas managed to shoot a few more dead before Aragorn drew his sword and engaged the Goblins in fierce hand-to-hand fighting. Panicking, Susan found herself nervously backing up further and further as the army of horrifying monsters continued to swarm through into the room in an unstoppable surge. She fired out an arrow, and missed completely. Now sweating and struggling not to lose her nerve, Susan nervously readied another arrow only to fumble it. Not bothering to waste time picking it up, Susan just drew a third arrow and fired. This one bounced off of a Goblin's shield.

Two more goblins ran at Susan. Shrieking in terror, Susan nevertheless tried to ready another arrow and fired it. Once again she failed to fell one of the loathsome creatures, but Legolas saw them in time to shoot them both dead before they could reach Susan. As their dead bodies fell near her feet, Susan fought the urge to vomit and shot a look over to Peter, who was having similar trouble, his one goblin opponent managing to push him back further and further as Peter awkwardly tried to fight him off with the sword skills Aragorn and Boromir had taught him. Skills he was struggling to remember now that true battle was upon him.

Then, as Susan saw the disgusting sight of Aragorn separating one Goblin's head from its body, the situation went from bad to infinitely worse. Bursting through the entrance and sending pieces of stone flying in the process was a massive, lumbering beast that was vaugely humanoid in shape with bluish-gray skin, beady little eyes, and a rocky hide. In one hand it held a club and on its neck was an iron clamp that a chain was attached to. A Goblin was holding the chain to lead the Cave Troll in, and with the beast's entrance came more Goblins, including a larger one with its face fully covered by those "beetle-helmets" so many of the other Goblins wore as well as a cape around its neck made from the white fur of some skinned animal. With a roar that the Cave Troll mirrored, this Goblin leader directed his men to overrun the Fellowship.

Frozen in place with fear, Susan looked on helplessly as the Goblins continued to advance. Peter too was frozen in terror, but Gandalf managed to move in and slay the Goblins that attempted to kill the Pensive siblings.

"Do not just stand there" Gandalf said exasperated. "Fight! These creatures know no empathy, compassion, or remorse. They will kill you both and devour you, unless you fight to defend yourselves! _Do you understand_?"

Peter and Susan both nodded meekly. As Gandalf said this, they could see Boromir be swung into one of the room's upper ledges by the Cave Troll. A helmeted goblin jumped down on him only to be slain when Aragorn hurled his sword at him. The weapon briefly sailed through the air before imbedding itself in the Goblin's neck.

More goblins rushed the Pensive siblings. Peter swung out with his sword, and managed through sheer luck to hit a Goblin square in the chest and knock him down. Another Goblin made several downward slashes and thrusts that Peter nearly fell down trying to block. Finally the Goblin managed to leave a slight cut in Peter's side. Gasping in pain as blood flowed from his wound Peter sank to his knees and the Goblin raised his sword over his head for the kill, licking his lips and revealing a mouth full of broken teeth as he prepared to deliver the coup de grae...

...only for an arrow fired by Susan to embed itself in the goblin's side. Distracted and knocked back a bit, the goblin was easy prey for Peter, who struck out with his sword and slew the beast.

Susan shot a brief look to her left. The Cave Troll brought its club down on the sarcophagus Gimli was standing on, smashing the marble block to pieces and nearly Gimli too had the dwarf not leaped off in time. Rolling on the ground, Gimli staggered to his feet as the Cave Troll lumbered towards him, swatting aside two unlucky goblins as it tried to kill Gimli. Legolas fired two arrows into the beast's shoulder, and Susan fired one that managed to hit the creature's leg. All three arrows had little effect, merely bouncing off of the troll and/or breaking outright upon contact with the creature's tough skin. Staggering to his feet, Gimli cut down a goblin that had been moving in to try and stab him while he was on his back.

As Gandalf fought with both staff and sword against the Goblins that attacked him, Peter stood at his sister's side and swung his sword out at the goblins that approached them. But the goblins were able to tell from the awkward and inexperienced way he swung his weapon that Peter was no swordsman and very soon they began to advance. Seeing this, Susan picked up the arrow she had dropped and shot it at one of the goblins. This time her arrow managed to hit its target, piercing the goblin's armor and dropping him in an instant.

As the Cave Troll swung its length of chain at Legolas again and again, the two Pensive siblings stayed close to each other as the goblins continued to come their way, with Peter blindly swinging out at the goblins nearest to them while Susan did her best to shoot down the ones that were attacking the other members of the Fellowship. Through the chaos of it all, the larger goblin continued to order his minions with shouts and growls in a black tongue Susan and Peter did not understand. Then something seemed to get his attention out of the corner of his eye and he ran after it.

Another two goblins ran at the Pensive siblings. Peter swung his sword out and decapitated one of them, his helmeted head rolling across the floor as Susan fired out another arrow. The shot staggered him and Peter finished him. Susan fired out another arrow that managed to hit one goblin and kill him.

"I think we might be getting the hang of this Sue..."

"Damn you to _hell _for making us stay here Peter" Susan hissed under her breath as she shot out another arrow that missed its mark.

Then a gasp of pain that was not a goblin's dying screams rang out and the two Pensive siblings whipped around to the source of it. There, slumped up against a corner, with a large, long spear embedded in him, was Frodo, wincing in pain before slumping over. Both the Cave Troll and the Goblin Chieftain were standing over him, and from where Susan and Peter where it was unclear which monster had done the deed.

With an anguished cry of rage, Pippin and Merry both leaped on top of the Cave Troll, plunging their short swords into the creature's rock-like back. Roaring in pain and anger, the Cave Troll thrashed and flailed about as it tried to force the two hobbits off of him. But they held firm as meanwhile the other members of the Fellowship threw themselves at the remaining Goblins with reckless abandon as their rage at Frodo's death consumed them. The goblins fell in droves as the world seemed to slow around the watching Pensive children. Caught up in the blood-rage the rest of the Fellowship was feeling, Peter and Susan both rushed forward as well, Peter now fighting more ferociously as he hacked and slashed at the goblins in his way. Susan shot out an arrow that went through one goblin's eye. The Goblin chieftain's larger form came into view and he tackled Peter. Forcing him to the ground, he bared his slightly curved black blade over him.

"Let's put a maggot-hole in your belly" he hissed.

Susan fired an arrow at him. It missed, but got his attention. As he rose however the tip of Boromir's broadsword burst through his chest, now covered in the goblin's black blood. He staggered for a minute before collapsing dead.

Looking out, Susan could see the Cave Troll still thrashing this way and that, until at last Pippin and Merry, with their swords still dug into the creature's rocky hide, forced it to stand up completely straight, which exposed its vulnerable neck. Then Legolas fired an arrow into it. The creature let out a moan and flailed about before finally falling forward with such force that Merry and Pippin were flung off of it. The Cave Troll was now dead, and what few goblins were not also dead ran out through the entrance to the tomb in terror.

An anguished gasp rang through the air, and everyone turned to see that Frodo was still breathing.

"He's alive" Sam said relieved and on the verge of tears as he rushed to Frodo's side.

"You should be dead" Aragorn said bluntly. "That spear would have skewered a wild boar"

Gandalf smiled. "I think there's more to this hobbit, than meets the eye"

As Gandalf said this, Frodo pulled back his brown coat to reveal a shiny silvery white shirt underneath, still fully intact. The substance actually gave off quite a shine, like a ray of light.

"Mithril..." Gimli whispered in awe before adding: "You're full of surprises master Baggins"

The moment of relief that washed over all the members of the Fellowship was very short-lived, as the sounds of more Goblins could be heard resounding through the halls, and it was getting louder. Gandalf turned to the others.

"To the bridge of Khazad-Dum" he said hurriedly, before running out of the entrance to the room, with the rest of the Fellowship following right behind. As they ran through the darkened halls, all around them Goblins swarmed in, with dozens upon dozens coming out of the fissures in the ground and also, as Susan and Peter saw when they looked up, a large hole in the ceiling. And despite their best efforts to outrun them, the Fellowship soon surrounded by a massive army of the black-armored fiends, many of whom looked to be reveling in their victory, their chartreuse colored eyes lighting up with sadistic glee and their mouths forming into wicked smiles that showed their rat-like teeth. Several also took to banging their black swords against their shields as they steadily began to close in around the eleven members of the Fellowship...

Then a loud noise vaguely similar to the explosions of the bombs Nazi pilots had dropped on the Pensive's home rang out through the halls, and all of the Goblins stopped in their tracks, suddenly panicking and looking around in terror. Then, with yelps of fear, all of the goblins fled as quickly as they had come, running like frightened rabbits being hunted.

Watching it, Gimli smiled triumphantly, pleased that the Fellowship had by some unknown miracle succeeded in scaring all of the goblins away.

Only it wasn't the Fellowship that had frightened the goblins.

Off in the distance, the source of the booming sound was lit up with a fiery orange hue, as if just around the corner was a well-lit room.

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir whispered to Gandalf. Gandalf shut his eyes for a moment as loud thuds rang through the halls before responding gravely: "A Balrog. A demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you..." then, turning to all of the members of the Fellowship he shouted: "RUN!"

Taking heed to the urgency in Gandalf's tone, the entire Fellowship ran as fast as their legs could carry them down the halls of Dwarrodelf, with Gandalf the Gray leading them as the fiery orange glow began to spread across the halls behind them. Racing through a waiting doorway, they came to a massive cavern lit up in an intense orange by fires below. Boromir was the first one through and nearly fell to his death when the massive stairs turned out to be broken. Legolas grabbed Boromir and pulled him back. Turning, the Fellowship raced down the stairway until they came to a gap. Boromir grabbed Sam and leaped across the chasm with him, the two miraculously managing to land on the other side. Next to jump across was Gandalf, followed by Pippin, Merry, Peter, and Susan all being tossed across by Aragorn, with all of them screaming as he did. But when Aragorn got ready to grab GImi and toss him across as well, he held up a hand.

"_Nobody_ tosses a Dwarf". Gimli said before he leaped across on his own only to just barely make it to the other side. He nearly fell backwards and into the fiery chasm below, but Legolas grabbed his beard and pulled him forward.

"NOT THE BEARD!"

No sooner was Gimli pulled safely forward did black arrows begin to whiz through the air, all of them narrowly missing the members of the Fellowship. Turning, Legolas fired out return shots at the goblins lining the wall facing the stairs the Fellowship were on. Each goblin hit by one of the elf's arrows went tumbling over into the fiery abyss below.

Finally, Aragorn and Frodo made it across as well just as the half of the stairs they had just been on broke off from its foundations and smashed to pieces. Wasting no time to catch their breath, the Fellowship continued to run as fast as they could, all the while Gandalf urging them to run ever faster.

"Over the bridge. FLY!"

As they did, Susan and Peter dared to shoot a look over to what was pursuing them and paid dearly for their curiosity.

Out of the flames burst a sight that would haunt both siblings' nightmares for the rest of their lives. It was a massive beast with skin that resembled magma and burning coals. It had clawed hands and a head that eerily resembled a ram's skull, complete with fearsome-looking horns. Its eyes were small with burning embers in place of any pupils or irises, and when it roared, its mouth was like the inside of a furnace. Finally, its whole form appeared to be lit aflame, and there may have also been wings atop the creature's back, but it was difficult to say for certain because of all the fire and shadow, and in any event Peter and Susan were both so terrified that they weren't paying attention to such details. They were too busy being utterly consumed by fear. It was like staring at the embodiment of everything they had been told about hell in church. Fire, embers, shadow, and a horned demon that was master of them all.

"RUN!" Gandalf shouted. Shaken out of their paralysis, Peter and Susan ran even faster than before, outpacing the other members of the Fellowship as all continued to flee the Balrog across the narrow length of stone that was the Bridge of Khazad-Dum. Not to be dissuaded, the Balrog slowly lumbered after them, the darkness trailing behind it and clinging to it almost like some kind of whispy black cloak. With each footstep it left a burning hole in the floor, and behind it a tail whipped around.

Gandalf was the last one across the bridge, but rather than run to the end, he stopped mid-way across and turned around to confront the Balrog. All of the other members of the Fellowship looked on in silent horror as the Balrog slowly stopped on the bridge to face down Gandalf.

"You cannot pass!" Gandalf shouted.

"Gandalf!" Frodo shouted. The Balrog advanced on Gandalf more and more, and reached into its flaming torso. From its own being it drew a sword of fire and held it above its head.

"I am a servant of the secret fire" Gandalf growled, "wielder of the flame of Arnor!" and then, raising both his voice and his weapons he shouted: "The dark fire will _not_ avail you, _**flame of Udun!**_"

The Balrog roared and brought its flaming sword down on Gandalf, who raised his wooden staff into the air. A small, protective bubble of sky-blue colored light covered Gandalf as the fiery blade came down on him. The effect of it colliding with the bubble was nothing short of spectacular. There was a blinding flash as the Balrog's fire sword disintegrated into a pile of magma and harmless sparks. Growling in anger, the Balrog drew another fiery sword from its being as well as a long whip of flame that it cracked challegingly, each crack of it looking like a flash of lightning in the sky.

"Go back to the shadow..." Gandalf growled. Then, as the Balrog readied itself for another attack, Gandalf brought his sword and staff together, raised them into the air and shouted: **"**_**YOOOOOU...SHALL NOOOOT...PAAAAS!"**_

Gandalf slammed his staff down onto the bridge, sending out a ripple that shook the watching members of the Fellowship to their cores. For a moment after nothing happened, but then the Balrog just continued to advance...only for the now weakened bridge to break under the Balrog's weight and send the monster plummeting into the abyss below. Gandalf had vanquished the fiend of fire and shadow.

Or so all thought.

As Gandalf turned to leave, the Balrog's whip of fire wrapped itself around his leg and pulled him down, causing him to drop his staff and sword into the chasm.

"Gandalf!" Frodo shouted as all of the other members of the Fellowship looked on in horror. Gandalf stared them all down.

"Fly you fools"

And then, he vanished, pulled into the abyss to join the Balrog in the shadows below. Frodo screamed in agony while everyone else was left almost catatonic by what they had just witnessed.

Gandalf the Gray had fallen into shadow, and with him Peter and Susan's only hope of getting back home.

**Author's Note: OK, lot to say, so let's get started:**

**First off, I know this is just my take on the Mines of Moria bit, but fear not! I have some wholly original plans for this crossover. Its just that a lot of this is again, the events of the actual stories fused together. Hence the novelization aspect.**

**I know Gimli doesn't have his "Not the Beard" bit in the books, but this is the books AND the movies, and I love that scene too much to leave it out. Also, having it be unclear who stabbed Frodo was a reference to a difference between the book and the movie. It's a Goblin that stabs Frodo in the book, not the Cave Troll.**

**I hope Susan isn't coming off as too off-putting. Keep in mind she and her brother are two teenagers being thrusted into an apocalyptic war they don't understand, and they definitely have no experience fighting and killing. So I figured they be a little squeamish at first, and also rather inexperienced.**


End file.
